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HEROES OF DISCOVERY
IN AMERICA
BY
CHARLES MORRIS
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AUTHOR OF "HISTORICAL TALES, ** HALF-HOURS WITH
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AMERICAN AUTHORS, ETC.
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PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY
1906
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Copyright, 1908
by
J. B. Lippincott Company
Published April, 1906
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PREFACE
There has been a high note of herpism throughout
the history of America, From the.early days of its
settlement down to a late date the best blood of Europe
sought its shores, — the adventurous, the daring, the
lovers of old romance and new performance. Rarely
has the world seen such a host of bold and brave spirits,
ready to do and to dare, men of might who stayed not
for difficulty and halted not for danger. These were
the men who made America, men like Cortez and
Pizarro, who did not hesitate to invade populous king-
doms with a handful of warriors; men like Orellana,
who trusted himself boldly to the vast unknown flood
of the Amazon ; men like La Salle, who dared the perils
of that other great unknown stream, the Mississippi ;
adventurers like De Soto, Champlain, and dozens of
others that might be named, instinct with daring, bent
on discovery, letting nothing stay them in their course,
plunging with the spirit of heroes of romance into
untravelled lands and endless forests, seeking fame and
fortune amid perils manifold.
Such were the men who discovered and explored
America. It was a new and stupendous problem that
confronted them. After civilized men had dwelt upon
the earth no one knows how many thousands of
years, a great virgin continent was reached in the
western seas, a new world unknown and undreamed-of
before. It was something to stir up all there is of the
spirit of romance and adventure in human blood. Here
was a mighty realm, inhabited by people of strange
PREFACE
hue and race, filled with unknown animals and plants,
a land of wealth, of wonder, of beauty and strangeness,
waiting in pristine freshness to be added to the domain
of civilized man. They were true heroes who under-
took this work; heroes of exploration, of discovery,
of conquest, of daring deeds and bold emprise ; heroes
who contemned danger and death, led ever onward by
a craving search for the new and strange, a romantic
spirit of adventure and research.
The explorers of this continent were great men in
their day, and they have made a great mark on the his-
tory of the land they made known. For more than four
centuries their work has been kept up and it is not yet
complete, for there are areas still in America on which
the foot of the white man has not been set. From
Columbus, who daringly crossed an unknown ocean to
discover an unknown continent, to Peary, who in our
own day has time and again plunged into the seas of
ice in restless quest of the mysterious pole, the list is
a long one and is filled with names of valiant and
unconquerable men. Heroes of discovery are these
in the highest sense, and it is fitting that the story of
their deeds should be put upon record. This we have
sought to do, in as full a sense as the space at our
command permits, endeavoring to omit none of the
great discoverers, none of the leaders in this great
drama of the opening of a new world. It is hoped that
readers will find these tales full of interest and inspira-
tion and gain from them an adequate sense of what was
accomplished in the great work of exploring a
continent.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Leif the Lucky and the Discovery of Vinland 9
Christopher Columbus, the Discoverer of America ... 14
Americus Vespucius and the Naming of America .... 23
The Cabots Discover the American Continent 23
Balboa, the Discoverer of the Pacific 39
Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth 47
The Voyages of Cortereal and Verrazano 52
Ferdinand Magellan and the Circumnavigation of
the Globe 57 -^
Ferdinand Cort£;s and the Conquest of Mexico 68
Francisco Pizarro and the Land of the Incas 77
Cabeza de Vaca and His Carer of Adventure 87
Francisco de Orellana: the Exploration of the
Amazon 97
Hernando de Soto and the Discovery of the Missis-
sippi 108 -
Francisco de Coronado and the Land of the Buffalo 119
Jacques Cartier and the Discovery of the St. Law-
rence 129
Jean Ribault and the Huguenots in Florida 137
Martin Frobisher and the Northwest Passage 145
Sir Francis Drake in the Track of Magellan 152 -^'
Sir Humphrey Gilbert, his Failure and his Fate 161
Sir Walter Raleigh, the Prince of Colonizers 166
Bartholomew Gosnold and other Discoverers in New
England 176
John Smith and the Exploration of the Chesapeake 181
Henry Hudson and the Discovery of the Hudson
River 190
Samuel de Champlain, the Founder of Quebec 198
James Marquette, the First Explorer of the Missis-
sippi 209
CONTENTS— Continued.
PAGE
Robert de la Salle and the Father of Waters 217
Lemoyne d'Iberville and the French Colony in the
South 228
SlEUR DE VeRENDEYE AND THE SeA OF THE WeST 237
Vitus Bering and the Discovery of Bering Sea 246
The Hudson Bay Company and the Work of the Fur-
Hunters 254
Washington and Gist and the Forts on French Creek 263
Daniel Boone, the Explorer and Settler of Kjentucky 273
Jonathan Carver and His Search for the Pacific 283
Ledyard and Gray and the Discovery of the Columbia
River 288
Lew^is and Clark and their Journey to the Pacific . . 296
Zebulon M. Pike, the Discoverer of Pike's Peak 308
Stephen H. Long and the Sources of the Platte .... 315
John C. Fremont, the Pathfinder of the West 319
The Saving of Oregon and the Adventures of De.
Whitman 329
The Gallant Explorers of the Frozen Seas 338
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Pike's Peak and Gateway of the Garden of the
Gods Frontispiece.
PAGE
Straits of Magellan 64
Scene in the Andes Mountains 80
Street View in St. Augustine 142
Port of Valparaiso 154
The Hudson River, from West Point 192
Montreal and the St. Lawrence River 198
Rapids of St. Anthony, Minneapolis 216
Sitka, Alaska 252
Dalles of the Columbia River 304
Grand Canon of the Colorado 322
Town and Harbor of Upernivik 340
HEROES OF DISCOVERY
IN AMERICA
LEIF THE LUCKY AND THE DISCOVERY
OF VINLAND
Boldest among all early rovers of the seas were
the daring sons of the North, the fearless vikings of
Scandinavia, who in their open, many-oared boats ven-
tured far out on the ocean's waves, reckless of the
perils of storm or the swords of their foes, now raiding
the rich lands of the south, now sailing far out into
unknown seas. It is to these bold wanderers that we
owe the first discovery of America.
In the year 860 one of these daring Norsemen,
blown far to sea by wild ocean winds, came to the
shores of a frozen island, which he well named Ice-
land. In 876 another adventurer was driven far be-
yond Iceland, and in the distance saw the coast of a
new western land, which was settled in 983 by Eric the
Red, an outlaw from Iceland. Finding a pleasant
grassy spot for his settlement, Eric named the coun-
try Greenland, saying that a name like this would be
good to bring people there. And so it did, for many
came to that misnamed country and a settlement was
made which lasted for centuries.
It was one of these newcomers who first saw the
coast of the continent of America. In the year 986
Bjarni, a reckless sea rover, left Iceland for Green-
lo HEROES OF DISCOVERY
land, but his boat ran into a fog which hung- round
it for days. Sun and stars alike were blotted out, and
he was forced to sail blindly on — the sport of chance.
At length the fog lifted, and he saw before him a broad
land thickly covered with trees. Here were little hills ;
here a level stretch. This was not the mountain-bor-
dered coast of Greenland, and Bjarni sailed north,
though his sailors wished him to land. At length
Greenland was reached and their story told.
The tale told by Bjarni and his men spread very
slowly. Those were not the days of newspapers and
telegrams, and twelve years passed before it reached
the ears of Leif, the son of Eric the Red, who was
then in Norway. Here was a man with a soul for dis-
covery. If there was unknown land to the south he
wanted to see it, and with a crew of thirty-five men,
gathered on Greenland's shores, the bold viking sailed
to the south. It was now the summer season of the
year looo, or perhaps a year before or after.
There was land to be found in plenty. First came
in sight a region of icy mountains, its shore covered
with flat stones. Helluland, or " slate-land," he named
it. Some days more brought them to a well-wooded
shore, which Leif called Markland, or " wood-land."
Then they stood out to sea, running swiftly before a
brisk wind. Two days later the sailors saw land again,
and sailed along the coast till they came to the mouth
of a river. Up this they went till they found them-
selves in a lake. A pleasant place it was, green and
fertile, the weather delightful, the river and lake full
of fish. Leif cast anchor and determined to spend the
winter in this land of bloom and promise.
Soon they found something that pleased them highly.
One of the party, a " south country" man, or German,
named Tyrker, came in one day from a ramble so ex-
IN AMERICA II
cited that he made wild grimaces and talked rapidly in
his own language, which no one understood. When
asked what ailed him, he said, —
" I have found vines loaded with wild grapes. Come
and I will show them to you. I am from a land of
vines and I love the grape, and the wine that is made
from it."
The news of Tyrker's find so pleased Leif that he
named the country Vinland (wine-land). The winter
passed pleasantly, and when spring came Leif loaded
his vessel with timber and set sail for Greenland. On
his way he rescued some sailors who had been ship-
wrecked. He was afterwards known as Leif the
Lucky, while so attractive was the story told by his
followers of the new country that people called it
" Vinland the Good."
Thus it was that the Norse vikings discovered the
continent of America. Just what part of the coast they
reached nobody knows. Some writers think that Leif's
winter-quarters were on the coast of Rhode Island.
Others think that he got no farther south than Labra-
dor. At any rate it was America, of which Bjarni and
Leif were the first discoverers.
Leif did not go back to this new country, but others
did. In I002 his brother Thorwald borrowed his ship
and went to Vinland, where his men spent two winters.
As for himself, he was killed in a fight with some sav-
ages in canoes. This is the first we are told of the
people of the land.
In 1005 Thornstein, another of Leif's brothers, bor-
rowed his ship and sailed south, taking with him his
wife Gudrid. Stormy weather met them and they were
forced to turn back, Thornstein dying on the way. But
Gudrid was not satisfied. She had in her veins the
Norse spirit of adventure, and the next year she mar-
12 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
ried a man of noble birth, Thorfinn Karlsefni, whom
she persuaded to found a colony in Vinland.
In the spring of 1007 Thorfinn set out with three
or four ships, one hundred and sixty men, and a num-
ber of women. Many cattle were also on board, for
they proposed to make their homes in pleasant Vin-
land. Many and various were their adventures. In
one bay they found an island where the eider-ducks
were so numerous that it was difficult to walk about
without stepping on their eggs. Farther south they
sailed up a river to a lake, on the low shores of which
were fields of wild wheat, while grape-vines grew on
the higher land. What they called wheat must have
been some other grain, for wheat is not native to Amer-
ica. There were many kinds of wild animals in the
woods, and their own cattle were landed that they
might graze on the rich pasture.
All might have gone well now but for the natives
of the country, who soon came swarming round in
boats of skin. We are told that they were swart and
ugly, with coarse hair, large eyes, and broad cheeks.
They were dressed in skins and armed with bows and
arrows, slings, and stone hatchets. The Norsemen
traded with them, giving them strips of red cloth for
furs. When the cloth began to get scarce they cut it
into little strips, not wider than one's finger, but the
natives gave as much for these as for the larger pieces,
and often more.
This peaceful trading was brought to an end in
an odd way. A bull belonging to the Norsemen ran
one day out of the woods with a loud bellow, which
set the savages running in panic to their boats or to
the woods. It was several weeks before they came
back and now they were in hostile mood. They at-
tacked the settlers with their arrows and slings, and
IN AMERICA 13
these defended themselves with their swords and
spears. Many of the savages were killed, but the set-
tlers also lost many good men, and in the end Karlsefni
decided that, though the country was fine and fruit-
ful, they could not hold their own against the hosts of
Skraelings — as they called the natives. So in loio,
three years after they had left Greenland, they loaded
their ships with timber and furs and sailed away from
Vinland.
Thus ended all attempts to colonize Vinland by the
Northmen. Many other visits were made there during
the following centuries, but the visitors came chiefly
for timber, and the warlike natives were left masters
of the soil.
It may seem strange to many of our readers that
America remained to be discovered again five centu-
ries after the date of Bjarni and Leif. But it must
be borne in mind that the people of Southern Europe
knew nothing of what was being done by the sea
rovers of the north. The story of the voyages to Vin-
land was written down in Iceland, and there it lay
unknown to other lands and nearly forgotten by the
Icelanders themselves until centuries after Columbus
made his more famous voyage. Only within our own
days have the famous sagas, or ancient writings, of
Iceland been translated into other languages, and not
till nearly four centuries after the voyage of Columbus
did it become known in Europe that America had been
discovered by viking wanderers five centuries before.
14 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, THE DIS-
COVERER OF AMERICA
On the 3d of August of the year 1492 three little
vessels set sail from the port of Palos, Spain, on one
of the most wonderful voyages that have ever been
made. Small craft they were for a great ocean voy-
age, these famous caravels, as the Spaniards called
them. The largest was only ninety feet long and
twenty feet wide, and it alone had a deck, the others
being open boats. On board these vessels were ninety
persons in all, sailors and officers, their commander,
or admiral, being an able seaman named Christopher
Columbus. It was a small equipment for a great
enterprise.
If it be asked, where were these caravels bound and
what made the voyage wonderful, an answer can easily
be given. The people of Europe, long content with
their own continent, were now waking up to a desire
to know more of the outer world. Two hundred years
before, Marco Polo, a traveller from Venice, had made
his way across Asia and come back with an exciting
story about China and other countries of the far East.
A century or more later the Portuguese became daring
voyagers, sailing south along the African shores until
in i486 they reached the Cape of Good Hope. They
knew now that they were on the sea-track for Asia, the
shores of which were reached by Vasco de Gama some
ten years later.
This stir for travel and discovery reached the heart
of Christopher Columbus, a daring sailor from Italy,
who was born in the city of Genoa about 1436, and had
IN AMERICA 15
sailed over all known seas. In those days there were
curious notions about the shape of the earth. Many,
even of the learned men of the time, believed that it
was flat instead of round, and that any ship that sailed
too far from land might reach the outer slope and glide
down hill to ruin or plunge headlong over the watery
edge. But there were men who knew better than this,
who felt sure that the earth was round, and that a ship
could sail straight onward until it came back to the
point from which it started, much as a fly can walk
round an orange and reach its starting point.
Christopher Columbus was one of these. He did not
think it necessary to travel thousands of miles to the
east or to sail round the continent of Africa to reach
the shores of Asia. He was sure they could be reached
by sailing to the west. He never dreamed that a great
continent lay between and that another mighty ocean
must be crossed before Asia could be seen. Had he
known this he would have been more eager still, for
men always prefer to discover the new than to find the
old.
We shall not tell the story of the life of Columbus
during nearly twenty years, while he was trying to get
the people of Genoa, the king of Portugal, and the
king and queen of Spain to aid him in the voyage he
wished to make. We shall only say that in the end
Queen Isabella of Spain came to his aid and he got
the three small vessels and the handful of men with
which he set out from Palos on that memorable 3d of
August to seek what lay beyond the broad Atlantic.
Trembling with terror were most of the men on
board those sorry caravels. They had been forced to
go against their will and they were full of dread of
the great unknown ocean, the " Sea of Darkness," as
it was called. The fear of falling over the brim of the
i6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
world was only one of the false notions which men
held. Many believed that in the tropic seas the water
was steaming hot, heaving up in boiling whirlpools.
Others thought that frightful monsters would be met
and that the helpless navigators would become their
prey. Very likely nearly all the men on those clumsy
vessels felt sure they were going to a dreadful death
and bade a fearful farewell to their native land. They
little thought they would come back as the heroes of a
mighty discovery.
It may be that Columbus was the only man among
them whose eyes looked trustingly to the west as the
shores of Spain sank from sight behind him. The
last land seen was that of the Canary Islands, where
they stopped to repair their ships. As these also sank
into the eastern seas many of the sailors cried like
children, loudly lamenting their dreadful fate. Colum-
bus tried to cheer them by telling them of lands ahead
filled with rich cities and teeming with gold and
precious stones, but the poor, scared fellows were then
in no mood to be comforted.
A week had not passed after leaving the Canaries be-
fore a new terror came to their minds. The compass-
needle, their safeguard on the deep, seemed about to
fail them. Instead of pointing to the polar star as they
had always known it to do, it swayed to the west, and
the pilots feared that this guide of the mariner was
about to lose its virtue. Columbus knew the cause of
this no better than themselves, but he explained it to
their satisfaction, — probably not to his own, — and for
some days all went well again.
Then, on September i6, when they had left the last
of the Canaries more than eight hundred miles in the
rear, they met with a fresh source of alarm. They
found themselves in the midst of a vast ocean meadow.
IN AMERICA 17
Everywhere, for many miles to right and lett, a broad,
green expanse of grasses and sea-weeds stretched out
before their eyes, with crabs and tunny fish swimming
in numbers about. This was the strange Sargasso
Sea, a region of the Atlantic six times the size of
France, which is thickly covered with growing plants
and full of ocean life.
Modern ships make their way through this with
ease, but after some days, as the wind fell, the caravels
of Columbus were impeded by the weeds, and the sail-
ors began to fear that they would be held fast to perish
in that ocean meadow. But when their longest plum-
met lines failed to reach the bottom, and when the
freshening breeze sent them swiftly on, their terror
was allayed.
A third fear was that the trade-winds, which here
blow steadily to the west, would never let them return
again. They would have been still more frightened if
they had known how far Spain lay behind them, but
Columbus deceived them in this by keeping a false
account. They had gone hundreds of miles farther
than they knew. And thus for days and days they
went on, until the terrified sailors were ready to throw
their admiral overboard and turn their prows home-
ward again. Yet through all this Columbus kept his
hope, and daily looked forward for some sign of the
Asiatic shores, which he felt sure lay not far ahead.
From time to time the men were cheered with
false cries of " land." But depression came again
when they found that these were mere cheating banks
of cloud. Then birds began to visit the ships, some of
them strong-winged sea-birds, but others small land
birds, the sight of which warmed their hearts with joy.
Green plants also came floating over the waves, as if
fresh from the land, while the air, as Columbus says,
i8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
was as sweet and fragrant as April breezes in Seville.
A carved stick was picked up and a thorn branch with
fresh berries on it. Land was surely not far away.
The mutiny which had been growing up against Co-
lumbus subsided at these sights and hope took the
place of dread. A large reward had been promised to
the man who should first see land, and every eye looked
eagerly forward as the vessels glided onward through
the pleasant summer seas.
October ii came and the signs of land grew so
plentiful that all were wild with excitement. The day
passed and night came. About ten o'clock Columbus,
standing on the high poop of his vessel, saw afar off a
moving light, as if some one were carrying a torch.
He called others and showed them the light. Onward
they went, the " Pinta," the fastest of the caravels, in
advance. At two o'clock in the night a gunshot from
this vessel boomed over the water with the joyful sig-
nal of land. It had been seen by a sailor named
Rodrigo de Triana. Soon it was visible to all, a long,
low coast about five miles away. Columbus had tri-
umphed, and at his orders the ships now took in sail,
awaiting the dawn. We may be sure that not a soul
slept for the remainder of that night.
Joyful enough were all on board when the morning
of Friday, the 1 2th of October, dawned, and their glad
eyes saw clearly a long, level shore, covered with trees
like a continual orchard, while a throng of naked
islanders came running from the woods and gazing
with astonished eyes at the ships, a vision none of their
race had ever seen before. They seemed like ocean
monsters to their astounded eyes.
The boats were lowered and quickly filled, Columbus
wearing a rich scarlet robe and holding the royal stand-
ard of Spain, while the Pinzon brothers, masters of
IN AMERICA 19
the other ships, carried each a banner adorned with a
green cross and bearing the letters F. and I., the in-
itials of Fernando and Isabel (Ferdinand and Isabella)
of Spain.
Leaping from his boat to the shore, Columbus fell
on his knees, kissed the land, and thanked God with
tears of joy. All did the same, while the officers
embraced the admiral or kissed his hands, and the men
threw themselves humbly at his feet, begging pardon
for their mutinous behavior.
Columbus now drew his sword, uplifted the great
standard of Spain, and took solemn possession in the
name of its sovereigns of the land on which he stood.
To the island he gave the name of San Salvador. Then
he bade all present take the oath of obedience to him
as admiral and viceroy, and the representative of their
sovereigns.
All this ceremony was watched with wonder and
awe by the simple islanders, a copper or cinnamon col-
ored people, unlike any the Spaniards had ever seen.
The ships to them were monsters or demons of the sea,
the men were messengers from the sky, divine beings
to be worshipped. Becoming more familiar, they
began to trade tame parrots and small ornaments of
gold for the glass beads and hawks' bells offered by the
Spaniards. On being asked by gestures where the gold
came from, they pointed to the south, and to the south
the whites soon sailed, for the sight of gold filled their
souls with hope of wealth untold.
It was a wonderful feat that Christopher Columbus
had performed, a remarkable discovery he had made,
— far more so than he supposed, for to the day of his
death he imagined that it was the shores of Asia he
had reached. The earth to him was a far smaller
planet than it is to us, and he did not dream that he
20 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
had found a new continent and that Asia was still
thousands of miles away.
Let us follow the ships in their later course and
Columbus in his later career. Leaving the shores of
San Salvador, they cruised for ten days among verdant
islands, those known to-day as the Bahamas. Then
heading southward still, they came to the large island
of Cuba, the marvellous beauty of whose shores and
hills charmed the admiral. There were fields of
strange plants, forests of unknown trees, but the cities
and kings he sought were not to be found, the gold and
spices he desired were nowhere seen, and the wealth
craved by the Spaniards fled from their gaze.
The coast of Cuba was followed far to the eastward,
and beyond it they came to the island of Hayti, called
by Columbus Hispaniola, and looked upon by him as
more beautiful still than any he had seen before. Then
on the 4th of January, 1493, the faces of the Span-
iards were turned homeward once more, and they set
sail for Spain, with the story of their grand discovery.
On the 15th of March, 1493, the adventurers sailed
into the port of Palos again, coming back in triumph
to the town which they had left in terror a little more
than seven months before. Never has discoverer met
with a more enthusiastic welcome than was given to
Columbus. The story of what he had found went
before him, and wherever he appeared the bells were
loudly rung and shouting crowds gathered round. As
he neared Barcelona, where the court then was, the
route seemed like a triumphal procession, and when
he came before the throne, the king and queen could
not heap honors enough upon the great discoverer.
They looked with wonder and admiration at the
gold, the new plants, the strange birds and beasts, the
curious weapons and tools, which Columbus had to
IN AMERICA 21
show, and gazed with deep surprise on the natives with
their red skins and strange features. In the end the
king and queen fell on their knees and thanked God
for the honor given to their realm by this marvellous
achievement.
Whatever were to be the sufferings of Columbus in
his future life, he must then have tasted the fullest
meed of joy. He was treated as one of the highest
nobles of Spain, and rode through the streets side by
side with the king. On land he was given the title
of don, at sea that of admiral, in the new world that of
viceroy of the king, while he was to receive a tenth part
of all the gold, precious stones, and other valuables
found, and an eighth part of all the profit arising from
commerce with the new land.
Such was the splendid promise made to Columbus.
But all the reward he got came from his fame, for
none of these fine promises were kept, and even his
name failed to be given to the continent he had found.
He made three more voyages to the New World, re-
turning first in 1493 and remaining till 1496, during
which time many more islands were discovered by
him. In his third voyage, begun in 1498, he reached
the main-land of South America and the mouth of the
great Orinoco River.
But enemies were rising against him, and the king
and queen were deeply offended when he sent five ship-
loads of Indians to Spain to be sold as slaves. It
looked as if Columbus was better fitted for a discoverer
than a governor. The king sent back the Indians in
anger, and took from him his office of viceroy, send-
ing a new governor to take his place. This man, one
of that base sort of whom so many came from Spain to
the New World, seized Columbus and his two brothers
and sent them in chains to Spain. When they reached
22 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
there everybody was filled with horror and indignation.
Bobadilla, the governor, was removed from office, but
Columbus was not made viceroy again.
He sailed on a fourth voyage in 1502, and this time
crossed the Caribbean Sea and followed the coast of
Honduras for a long distance. He still sought the
riches of Asia, but sought them in vain. He returned
to Spain in 1504. It was a return strikingly unlike
that he had made in 1493. Now there were no crowds
to cheer him, no king to ride beside him in the streets.
The old man — for Columbus had now grown old — was
treated with shameful neglect, and permitted to fall
into poverty in the land to which he had given a con-
tinent.
He died May 20, 1506, and in compliance with his
request the fetters which had once been placed on his
limbs and which he had since kept in his room, were
buried with him in the tomb. They formed a sad
memento of the ingratitude of Spain. He gave a New
World to Spain. Spain gave him fetters and a grave
in reward.
IN AMERICA 23
AMERICUS VESPUCIUS AND THE
NAMING OF AMERICA
No doubt most of our readers are familiar with the
story of Columbus and the egg; how, when some of
the wise courtiers of Spain said that the discovery of
America was of no great account, that anybody could
have done it by sailing west, he showed them that any-
body could make an egg stand on end when they once
knew how. But first they had to be shown how.
When he had shown men how to reach the world
beyond the sea it was not long before others were upon
his track, and one of these had the fortune to have his
name given to the new continent. By right and jus-
tice it should have been named Columbia. By chance
it came to be called America. We have now to tell
how this unjust thing came about.
When Columbus was still a boy, just beginning his
Hfe as a sailor, there was born in the city of Florence,
in Italy, another boy, who was also to make his mark
as a discoverer. He was named Amerigo Vespucci,
but he is usually known by the Latinized name of
Americus Vespucius. Under ordinary circumstances
we might have heard little about him. But as blind
chance gave his first name to the great new continent,
he became a man of importance in the story of Ameri-
can discovery.
Vespucius was well educated. He learned much
about animals and plants, astronomy and geography.
About 1490 he was sent on business from Florence to
Spain, and stayed there for several years. It may well
be that while there he met Christopher Columbus, who
24 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
was then in that country. He may, indeed, have gone
with him to America in one of his voyages, but there
is no proof that he did.
At any rate, when King Ferdinand took from Co-
lumbus the sole right to make journeys to the New
World, and adventurers began to cross the seas in
multitudes, Vespucius was one of the first of these,
if we can believe his own story. He tells us that he
sailed from Cadiz on the loth of May, 1497, in an
expedition composed of four vessels. It is thought he
may have joined this expedition as an astronomer, for
certainly, in those new seas and under those new skies,
some one familiar with the movements of the stars
was likely to be of use.
Stopping first at the Canary Islands, where Colum-
bus had stopped some five years before, the adven-
turers sailed straight into the west, and after twenty-
seven days came to " a coast which we thought to be
that of a continent." From the account given, the point
first seen may have been Campeachy Bay, on the coast
of Yucatan. From there they sailed to Florida and
up the coast, how far no one knows. In the end they
came to an archipelago about one hundred leagues
from the coast, its chief island being called Iti. Then
they headed for home, and reached Cadiz again on
October 15, 1498.
If this story is true, Vespucius saw the American
continent eighteen days before it was seen by John
Cabot, who is usually looked upon as its discoverer.
But as there is no proof but his own doubtful word
that it is true, we must still give Cabot the credit of
the discovery^
Vespucius tells us that he set out on a second voy-
age in May, 1499, in a fleet of three ships, whose com-
mander was Alonza de Ojeda. Heading more to the
IN AMERICA 25
south, they crossed the equator, without meeting any
of those boihng waters of which old geographers had
dreamed, and first saw land on the coast of Brazil,
about the point known as Cape St. Roque. This ex-
pedition was thus the first to reach the coast of that
great country.
Shall we say something of other voyages to that
land? After the return of Ojeda, with an account of
the new land he had seen, an expedition set out to the
same coast under Vincente Yanez Pinzon, who had
been captain of one of the caravels of Columbus.
While crossing the equator, near the coast of Brazil,
though not in sight of land, Pinzon and his men were
surprised to find the sea-water so fresh that they could
safely drink it. Filled with wonder at this strange
thing, he turned to the west, and soon found him-
self in the mouth of a mighty river, the grand Ama-
zon, nearly a hundred miles wide, and pouring out
such vast volumes of fresh water that it made the sea-
water drinkable for more than a hundred miles out
from the land.
There were other Spanish ships that reached the
coast of Brazil, and it may seem strange that Spain
did not claim the country of the great river, as it
claimed all the remainder of South America. Before
we go on with the story of Vespucius, we must tell
how it happened that the vast region of Brazil fell
into the keeping of Portugal.
Let it be borne in mind that in those days Spain and
Portugal were the great rivals in the work of dis-
covery. While the other nations of Europe were
taking things very easy in this field, these two coun-
tries were sending out expedition after expedition,
Portugal around Africa to the east, and Spain across
the Atlantic to the west. It began to appear as if all
26 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the world outside of Europe was to belong to these
two countries by the right of discovery.
Such seems to have been the opinion of Pope Alex-
ander VI., and under the theory that the earth really
belonged to the Holy Church, he took it upon him-
self to divide the new-discovered lands between Por-
tugal and Spain. On a map of the world he drew
a meridian line one hundred leagues west of the
Azores, saying that all new lands found east of this
line should belong to Portugal, those west of it to
Spain. Luckily for Portugal, Brazil stretches so far
to the east as to cross Alexander's imaginary line, and
this gave Portugal a claim to that great land. Spain
and Portugal were faithful sons of the Church of
Rome, but the other countries of Europe paid not a
grain of attention to the decision of the Pope.
Portugal had another claim than this to Brazil. A
gallant captain of that land of daring sailors reached
this coast about the same time as Vespucius and Pinzon,
and with no knowledge that any Spanish eye had ever
seen it. If Columbus had not discovered America in
1492, Pedro Alvarez de Cabral very likely would have
discovered it in 1500, and the story of the new conti-
nent might have been very different.
This is how it came about. While Spain was
making great discoveries in the west, Portugal was
making equally great discoveries in the east. For
many years the bold navigators of that land had been
feeling their way from point to point down the coast
of Africa till the Cape of Good Hope was reached by
Bartholomew Diaz in i486. In 1497 Vasco de Gama
sailed round Africa and reached the rich realm of
India, from which he came back to Lisbon in July,
1499, with his ships laden with the treasures of the
East and with a rare tale of adventure and discovery.
IN AMERICA 27
For a time the fame of this great achievement threw
the deeds of Cokimbus quite into the shade. India
was teeming with wealth. America, so far as yet
known, was a land of poverty. The eyes and the hopes
of men were turned to the East.
King Emmanuel of Portugal lost no time in sending
out a fleet on Gama's track. It consisted of thirteen
vessels, and carried about twelve hundred men, the pur-
pose being to found a trading colony on the coast of
Malabar. Cabral was put in command, and sailed from
Lisbon on March 9, 1500. And now the strange thing
happened we have hinted at above. After passing the
Cape Verde Islands, Cabral took a westerly course.
Just why he did so is not known. Perhaps he wished
to avoid the troublesome calms of the Guinea coast.
Perhaps storms drove him out of his true route. At
any rate he went much farther west than he had in-
tended, and on April 22 found himself in sight of land.
He had, in latitude 16° 30' S., come to the coast of
Brazil, which here stretches far to the east.
Thus, as we have said, if Columbus had not dis-
covered America nearly eight years before, Cabral
would have discovered it by accident now. Mere
chance and the fortune of the seas brought him there,
but as he felt sure that this new land lay to the east
of the meridian laid down by the Pope, he claimed it
for Portugal, taking formal possession and sending
one of his ships back to Lisbon with the news. This
was done on May i, 1500, and in this way Brazil fell
to Portugal. Spain, a loyal son of the church, would
not dispute a claim which was based upon the Pope's
decree, even though Spanish ships had been there
before.
How did this Portuguese territory get its name?
Cabral called it Vera Cruz, which name was soon
28 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
changed to Santa Cruz. On old maps of Brazil we
find the names of " Land of the Holy Cross," and also
" Land of Parrots," for some parrots of gorgeous plu-
mage had been taken thence to Lisbon. The name of
Brazil had a different source. In those days, when
geography was largely a matter of fancy, many islands
were imagined to exist in the Atlantic of which later
voyagers have found no trace. Among them were the
Island of the Seven Cities and the Green Isle, but
most famous of all was the Isle of Brazil. This had
something to do with the red dye-woods, known in the
Middle Ages as Brazil-wood. We do not know for a
certainty, but it is very likely that the name of the
fancied island was applied to the vast region of South
America now known as Brazil, and in which many
valuable dye-woods were found.
Now let us return to the story of Vespucius, of
whom we have long lost sight. It was thought inter-
esting to give these facts about Brazil, especially as
Vespucius now passed into the service of the king of
Portugal and took part in an expedition sent to the
" Land of Parrots," as the new country, now claimed
by Portugal, was at that time called. This expedition
set sail on May lo, 1501, and reached the Brazilian
coast three months later, after many weary days of
calm and storm.
The story of the voyage is told by Vespucius. In
some places they found friendly, in others warlike,
Indians, most of them being cannibals. But while the
people were not to his liking, the country seemed to
him a new Garden of Eden. The sweet and balmy
air, the brilliant birds, the spicy herbs, the enormous
trees, filled him with the thought that Paradise could
not be far away.
Sailing slowly southward, they reached, on January
IN AMERICA 29
I, 1502, a noble bay, called by them Rio de Janeiro,
or river of January, probably with the idea that it was
the mouth of another river mighty as the Amazon.
Fifty-four years later the capital city of Brazil was
founded on its shores. Heading southward still, they
went far along the Brazilian coast, and were driven
at length before a frightful storm to the desolate
shores of the island of South Georgia, in latitude
54° S., the most southerly waters the eyes of white
men had ever seen. So barren and repulsive was the
land they saw that they decided to make all haste
home, and reached Lisbon, September 7, 1502. Among
all the voyages of that time, there was none to surpass
this in extent, stretching, as it did, far downward into
the chill Antarctic seas.
Vespucius made a fourth voyage, its object being to
reach Malacca by sailing west. Men had not yet
learned the difficulty of reaching Asia by this route.
The expedition returned to Portugal with its ships well
laden with dye-woods. In 1504, Vespucius left Portu-
gal for Spain, and in 1505 called on his old and feeble
friend Columbus, then dying from disease and ill-treat-
ment. It is said by one writer that Vespucius made
two other voyages, both of them to the Isthmus of
Panama. He died in Seville, Spain, in 15 12.
Now, having briefly described the voyages of this
navigator, let us seek to learn how the new conti-
nent came to receive bis name. It was largely due to
the fact that he was a writer, telling the story of his
adventures and discoveries more fully than any of his
fellow-voyagers. He wrote a diary of his fourth voy-
age, and several letters to one of his school-day friends,
and in these he was the first to give the new-found
lands the name of the " New World." Of these
writings scarcely any remain to us, but they were
30 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
much read and attracted much attention in his day,
and the name of Americus Vespucius became widely
known in connection with the discovery of the conti-
nent of the west.
In speaking of the New World he did not refer to
the discoveries of the Spanish navigators, but simply
to those made south of the equator in his third voyage.
He looked upon Brazil as a separate continent, a
" Fourth Quarter" of the world. His letter to Lo-
renzo de' Medici, in which he spoke of the supposed
southern continent as a new world, was published in
1504 in a small quarto of four pages, with the Latin
title, " Mundus Novus."
This small tract proved a great success. Many edi-
tions of the Latin original were printed, and various
others of a German translation, and it everywhere at-
tracted attention. A letter of Vespucius to his school-
fellow Soderini, in which he gave very briefly an ac-
count of his four voyages, was also published in 1506,
and this also was widely read. About this time a
young German scholar, named Martin Waldseemiiller,
in association with some friends, was about to pub-
lish a new edition of the " Geography of Ptolemy,"
adding to it the results of recent discovery. In 1507
he issued a small treatise as an introduction to the elab-
orate work projected, and included in this the story
by Vespucius of his four voyages. In it the following
interesting passage occurs. After speaking of the
three well-known quarters of the world, — Europe,
Asia, and Africa, — Waldseemiiller goes on to say, —
" But now these parts have been more extensively
explored and another fourth part has been discovered
by Americus Vespucius : wherefore I do not see what
is rightly to hinder us from calling it Amerige, or
America, — i,e., the land of Americus, after its dis-
IN AMERICA 31
coverer Americus, a man of sagacious mind, since both
Europe and Asia have got their names from women."
Thus it was that the name of America was first
suggested. No one made any objection to it. It was
appHed, as may be seen, at first only to Brazil, as a
" Fourth Quarter of the world," and no doubt people
thought it only just that this country should bear the
name of the man who had explored and written the
first description of it. As for Americus himself, he
had nothing to do with giving his name to any part
of the New World.
But the name spread, as names have at times a
fashion of doing. It grew in time to cover all of South
America. Then it reached upward and took in the
northern continent also. It appeared on the maps and
in the geographical works of the time until it got too
strong a hold to be easily displaced. Thus, without any
special intention upon the part of anyone, Columbus
was deprived of the honor of his name being given to
the great continent he had discovered, and the glory
of naming the New World went to the Florentine
Americus Vespucius. Thus it is that chance is often
as unjust as design.
32 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
THE CABOTS DISCOVER THE AMERICAN
CONTINENT
The return of Columbus to Spain with the story of
his wonderful discovery filled all Europe with sur-
prise and admiration. It was everywhere believed that
India and China, with their gold, pearls, and spices,
had been found by sailing to the west, and no doubt
several of the nations felt like sending out expeditions
to gain their share of these treasures. But Spain
claimed all it had found, and that country was in those
days strong enough to hold its own, so the track of
Columbus was left open only to the ships of Spain.
But lands might lie to the north, where Columbus
had not gone, and where Spain sent no ships, and
thither the other nations felt free to go. The first to
do so was England, of which country Henry VII. had
lately made himself king by his defeat of the wicked
Richard III.
In Bristol, a seaport of that land, lived with his three
sons a merchant and mariner named John Cabot. He
came from Italy, and is said to have been born in
Genoa, the native place of Columbus. Though we
are not sure of this, we know that he lived long in
Venice, engaged in trade, and we are told that once,
while in Arabia, he met a caravan laden with spices
and asked many questions about the far countries from
which these goods of value came. Even then he may
have had an idea of seeking those countries for him-
self. That is all we know about him till after 1490,
when he moved to England and made the busy city
of Bristol his home.
IN AMERICA ' 33
In a letter, claimed to be written by Sebastian Cabot,
a son of John Cabot, but of whose real author we are
not aware, we are told of the great talk which the
exploit of Columbus set going at the court of King
Henry VII., " insomuch that all men with great ad-
miration affirmed it to be a thing more divine than
human to sail by the West and into the East where
spices grow, by a way that was never known before;
but the fame and report thereof caused in my heart
a great flame to arise to attempt some notable thing,
and understanding by the sphere that if I should sail
by the northwest I should by a shorter track come
into India, I imparted my ideas to the king."
Whoever may have written this letter, we know that
John Cabot was quickly at the ear of the king, for
the Spanish ambassador sent word to Ferdinand and
Isabella of Spain that such a man was at the English
court, and the ambassador was bidden to warn King
Henry to keep away from the realms claimed by Por-
tugal and Spain.
Henry did not wait to hear what the king of Spain
might say. He had already given John Cabot and his
three sons authority " to sail to the east, west, and
north, with five ships carrying the English flag, to
seek and discover all the islands, countries, regions, or
provinces of pagans in whatever part of the world."
They were to sail from and return to Bristol, and the
king was to have one-fifth of all profits, though all
he seems to have done, so far as we know, was to give
Cabot the right to sail — at his own expense.
At any rate, we hear nothing more of the five ships
promised by King Henry. All we are told about is
of one ship, the " Matthew," which had on board only
eighteen men, a poor handful to cross an unknown
ocean on a great voyage of discovery. Early in the
3
34 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
month of May, 1497, the sails of the " Matthew" were
set and the Httle barque left Bristol on her famous
voyage.
Whither the voyagers were going they did not know,
but their minds were full of visions of the mighty
kingdom of Cathay, the great empire of the East, —
China as we now call it. Then there was the rich
island of Cipango, of which Marco Polo had brought
back glowing reports, — the land we now know as
Japan. But very different thoughts may have visited
their ignorant and superstitious minds. They were
not heading for the fragrant and blooming South, the
land of golden dreams, an archipelago of tropical
islands rich in bloom, of whose beauty Columbus had
told in glowing words. Their goal was the frigid
North, which their fertile imaginations may well have
peopled with strange monsters, the demons, griffins,
and other uncouth creatures in which the fancies of
the age revelled ; possibly also of haunting spectres
which might rise to appal them on the cold northern
crags and capes. Even the unpeopled regions of Eu-
rope were then held to be the haunts of such terrify-
ing shapes, and no one could tell what the vast un-
known beyond the ocean might contain.
At any rate, the " Matthew" sailed away, pointing
her prow to the north and west, and keeping steadily
on until seven hundred long leagues lay behind. On the
24th of June land at length was seen, we do not know
just where, perhaps in the region of Cape Breton
Island or Nova Scotia, perhaps on the desolate coast of
Labrador. Cabot supposed it to be " the territory of
the Grand Cham," as he named the ruler of China.
We are told almost nothing of the events of this
voyage. The story that John Cabot told no one took
the trouble to write down. All we know is that he
IN AMERICA 35
sailed some three hundred leagues along the shore, and
that he planted a large cross and left waving above it
the English flag. And he did not forget his old home
at Venice, for he set afloat also the banner of St.
Mark. No men were seen, but fallen trees were there
which men might have cut down, and the sailors found
snares to catch game and a needle for making nets.
Afraid to meet the natives with his little crew, Cabot
turned his prow homeward again and reached Bristol
about the end of July. The voyage had taken no
more than three months.
There is an interesting letter, dated August 23, 1497,
and written by a Venetian gentleman, then in London,
in which we are told something about the voyage and
the way in which Cabot was received on his return.
The writer says, " His name is Zuan Cabot, and
they call him the Great Admiral. Vast honor is paid
him, and he dresses in silk and these English run after
him like mad people." But the king apparently, did not
think his voyage worth much, for he rewardeci Cabot,
" him that found the new isle," with the small sum of
£10. This was worth as much then as £100, or five
hundred dollars would be to-day, but it would not go
far to pay the cost of a three months' voyage. Cabot
was also granted a yearly pension of £20.
What we do know is that in 1498 a new expedition
was sent out, under John Cabot and his son Sebas-
tian. But in the story of this expedition we hear of
Sebastian Cabot only. John Cabot's name is not men-
tioned. The fleet consisted of five or six ships, on
board which were about three hundred men, and it set
sail from Bristol in April, 1498. Sebastian Cabot was
the youngest of discoverers, being then little more
than twenty-one years old, but young as he was he
seems to have been well fitted for the work.
36 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Sailing to the far northwest the explorers touched
land at the high altitude of 67^° N., where they were
surrounded by seas of ice. Here, at that season, the
day was nearly twenty-four hours long. Not finding
a gulf leading to the Indies, and his men being muti-
nous on account of the bitter cold, Sebastian turned
southward along the coast, no doubt taking a course
between Newfoundland and Labrador. One important
discovery he made, — the seas he entered were fairly
alive with fish. *' In the seas thereabout," as one
writer tells us, " were multitudes of big fishes that
we call tunnies, which the inhabitants called Bacca-
laos, so thick that they sometimes stopped his ship."
To-day we call these fish the cod, and the cod-fisheries
of Newfoundland have ever since been famous, though
we hear no more of fish so dense as to stop ships. We
can hardly believe that they gave them much trouble
even then.
In those waters, since then the haunt of fishermen,
the only fishers he saw were hungry bears, which leaped
into the water and caught the swarming fish in their
mouths. Seals and salmon also abounded in bays and
rivers, and he saw three deer, larger than those of
England. The natives were clad in skins, and in many
places they were found to have copper. Nothing
nearer the color of gold was seen.
Cabot tried to found a colony with his men, many of
whom are said to have been taken from the prisons
of England. But when he came back to where he had
left them, he found that death and suffering had been
busy among them, and he took on board what few re-
mained. The voyage down the coast continued to the
latitude of 38° N., somewhere about Cape Hatteras.
What bays they entered, what discoveries they made
beyond the few named, we do not know. Never has
IN AMERICA 37
there been a great expedition of which so little is said.
The Cabots were certainly silent men. We are not
told even of the return of the ships, except that one
of them put into an Irish port, much the worse for
the storms it had passed through.
In truth, the story of the voyages of the Cabots
would not be worth the telling, so little is known about
them, but for their high importance for several rea-
sons. They were the first, after the far earlier North-
men, to discover the continent of America, the Span-
ish navigators as yet having reached islands only. And
Sebastian Cabot was the first to recognize that he had
reached a new continent, — not the coast of Asia, as
everyone else then thought. Though he at first, too,
fancied that he had touched on the coast of Eastern
Asia, after his second voyage he was sure the " New
Found Land" was an unknown continent. This is
shown by his charts, which make it separate from any
old known realms. And the discovery is also notable
from the fact that on it England based its right to settle
the North American shores. So the great United
States had its foundations laid by John and Sebastian
Cabot.
Sebastian had a long and active life after his return.
It is said that he made other voyages from England,
but of this nothing is known. In 15 12 he went to live
in Spain, as chartmaker for the king — having married
a Spanish lady. He was to have made a voyage to
the northwest in 15 16, but the death of King Ferdi-
nand put an end to this project. Then he went to
England, where he was chosen to command an expe-
dition, but this also did not sail.
In 1 5 18 we find him in Spain acting as pilot-major,
and in 1526 he sailed at the head of an expedition to
the La Plata river, in South America, and tried to plant
38 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
colonies there, remaining until 1530. His colonies
failed, and on his return such complaints were made
against him that he was banished for two years to
Oran in Africa. But this sentence was remitted
as unjust, and the new king made him pilot-major
again. Returning to England in 1548, he was made
inspector of the navy and given a pension, and was
afterwards at the head of a company organized to
discover a northeast passage to China. The most
it did was to establish a trade with Russia by way of
the White Sea. Soon afterwards, about 1557, the
renowned discoverer died. A copy of his famous
map, on which the discoveries of his father and himself
are laid down, still exists in the National Library at
Paris.
IN AMERICA 39
BALBOA, THE DISCOVERER OF THE
PACIFIC
Among the Spanish adventurers who thronged to
the new lands beyond the seas was one named Vasco
Nunez de Balboa, a cavalier of Spain. Not finding
fortune at home, he sought it in 1501 in the fertile
island of Hispaniola, the earliest seat of Spanish set-
tlements in the New World. But Balboa was not the
man to gain wealth by the peaceful methods of agri-
culture, even with full power to use the poor natives
for slaves. He was born for action and adventure, not
for a quiet life, and before many years found himself
so deeply in debt that he had no hope except to escape
from his creditors.
It was now the year 15 10. A vessel commanded by
one Enciso, a lawyer of the town of San Domingo,
was being fitted out to go to the aid of a colony
founded on the South American shores. Here was
the opportunity for Balboa. Being in debt, he would
not have been allowed to leave the island, so if he went
he must go by stealth. Provisions were being sent
from his plantation to the ship of Enciso, and the in-
genious runaway had himself headed up in a cask,
supposed to be filled with bread, and smuggled on
board with other casks of food.
The poor fellow must have had a sorry time of it in
his close quarters, breathing through holes bored in
the sides and nibbling at the food he had brought in
his pockets. But he had the courage to bear his suf-
ferings till the vessel was far from shore, when he
crept from his cask, whose head was not too firmly
40 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
fixed. Making his way to the deck, a hungry and
haggard spectacle, he fell on his knees before Enciso
and humbly begged pardon for the trick he had played.
The lawyer-captain was furious on seeing this woe-
begone stranger and hearing his story. He swore and
threatened in hot rage. It was too late to turn back
and give the culprit up to his creditors, but there was
a small desert island on their route, and he vowed
he would set the rascal ashore there and leave him
to starve. This was not done; Balboa's prayers pre-
vailed. Enciso permitted the stowaway to remain,
but made him earn his passage by hard work.
When the ship reached land it was found that the
colony they sought had been abandoned. Balboa now
proposed that they should sail for Darien, a settle-
ment in the isthmus where he had been once before.
His proposal was accepted, as no better one was
offered, and the ship was headed thither. By the time
land was touched again Balboa had made himself a
favorite with his fellow-adventurers, he being one
well fitted to make his way among men.
What followed must be briefly told. The colonists
built a new town on the shores of the Gulf of Uraba,
to which they gave the ample name of Santa Maria
de la Antigua del Darien. But during its building En-
ciso so provoked them by his overbearing temper that
they seized and imprisoned him, and asked Balboa, the
poor stowaway, to take his place as their alcalde, or
head man. Enciso, when he was set free, went home
to Spain in a fury, and there complained bitterly of the
way he had been treated by the man whose life he had
spared.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa had now reached the sta-
tion for which nature intended him, — that of a leader
of men. He sent out parties to explore the country.
IN AMERICA 41
Ornaments and flakes of native gold were found, and
their hopes rose. The leader of the exploring party
was a man named Pizarro, who was afterwards to
win world-wide fame as the conqueror of the rich
land of Peru.
Balboa was d wise and prudent man. He made
friends with the Indians, and treated them with jus-
tice and humanity. As a writer of his time says, " Bal-
boa was the best lance and the best head that ever
protected a camp in a land of idolatrous savages."
He conquered the Indian district of Coyba, and then
made its ruler his friend. Farther west, at the foot
of a range of high mountains, was another district,
whose chief, Comagre, invited the Spaniards to visit
him, and entertained them in his palace, — a building
one hundred and fifty paces long and eighty broad,
and with many apartments with finely wrought floors
and ceilings. This chief was not a savage ; the Span-
iards were now coming near to the civilized Indians.
One thing was found here that pleased the Span-
iards highly ; gold seemed plentiful. The embalmed
bodies of the ancestors of Comagre wore mantles of
cotton embroidered with gold, pearls, and precious
stones. The eldest son of the chief presented his guests
with a rich offering of gold, valued at four thousand
pesos. A fifth part of this treasure was set aside for
the king, but when the Spaniards quarrelled over the
division of the remainder the young Indian was sur-
prised at their love of gold, and said to them, —
" If you are so fond of gold as to leave your country
for its sake, I can lead you to a place where gold is
far more plentiful than with us, and where the people
use it for their cups and bowls. But if you wish to
conquer that country you will need many men, for you
will have mighty chieftains to deal with. When you
42 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
have passed the mountains you see yonder, you will
see another great body of water, on which are vessels
almost as large as yours, and having sails and oars."
These words filled Balboa with delight. There rose
in his mind the vision of vast wealth and the desire to
discover and explore this mighty ocean. He fancied it
would lead him to the rich East Indies, which Colum-
bus had vainly sought to find. He at once began to
prepare for the great enterprise, making friends of all
the chieftains around, and clearing the way for the
discovery by which he hoped to make his name less
famous only than that of Columbus. He made Ca-
reta, the chief of Coyba, his firm friend by marrying
his daughter.
The king's share of the gold obtained was sent to
the royal treasury of San Domingo, but it never
reached there, the vessel going down in the stormy
sea. But stories of the great wealth of the country
reached Spain, where the region was named Golden
Castile. The king's treasurer at San Domingo made
Balboa captain-general of the whole district.
But all was not going well for Balboa. Enciso had
made such bitter complaints to the king that orders
were sent to Balboa to come to Spain and answer the
charges against him. At any moment another might
be sent to succeed him and deprive him of the fame
and wealth for which he ardently hoped. He deter-
mined to wait no longer, but to set out at once for
the great ocean he had been told of. To discover it
would be to win the favor of the king.
It was a mighty enterprise that lay before him, the
boldest the Spaniards had yet attempted in the New
World. The Isthmus of Darien is not more than sixty
miles wide, but a chain of lofty mountains, covered
with almost impenetrable forests, traverses its extent,
IN AMERICA 43
joining on to the grand Andes of the south. The val-
leys between the ranges are traversed by swift rivers,
and are inundated by rains for nearly two-thirds of
the year, which makes them marshy and unhealthy.
And to these perils of nature were to be added those
of human foes, who would perhaps bitterly contest
the invasion of their lands.
A thousand men would have been no great force
for the enterprise, but Balboa could gather less than
two hundred, with some useful allies in the shape of
bloodhounds. A thousand Indians who went with
him were chiefly of use in carrying the baggage of
the expedition. Only a man especially fitted for such
an enterprise could have carried it through success-
fully, but Vasco de Balboa was such a man. Cour-
age he had, but so had all those with him. His supe-
rior powers were those of prudence and judgment,
generosity and affability, and the varied talents by
which a man wins the confidence and regard of his
fellows. In battle he was always to be seen at the front ;
in labor he was found at the point of greatest fatigue :
and he was ever as anxious for the comfort of his men
as for his own. He was one of those born leaders to
whom success is sure to come where success is pos-
sible.
It was on September i, 15 13, that the expedition set
out. The rainy season had passed and the danger
from flood was abated. Going by sea to the district
of Coyba, the adventurers landed and marched into
that of a chief named Ponca. The frightened Indian
fled to the mountains, but Balboa coaxed him back by
promises and presents and obtained guides from him.
The next country they entered was that of a war-
like tribe, armed with bows and arrows and flinging
fire-hardened javelins. But these weapons were of
44 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
little avail against men clad in iron and armed with
muskets and swords, and the bold Indians were soon
put to flight, many of them being slain. Some were
torn to pieces by the ferocious dogs.
This defeat made the other tribes fearful and ready
to help instead of to hinder their terrible foes. But
the difficulties of the way were great, and some of the
hardy veterans gave way to sickness and fatigue and
had to be left behind. The Indians had said that six
days would bring them within view of the great sea,
but twenty-five days of toil and peril passed without
its being seen. Then they reached a lofty mountain,
from whose summit they were told the mighty waters
would be visible.
As they drew near the peak Balboa bade his men to
halt. He had earned the right to be the first to gaze
on that wondrous sight. He toiled on ; he reached
the apex; he gazed eagerly towards the far west.
There before him lay the great South Sea, glittering
in the rays of the descending sun, and spreading out
in seemingly boundless extent. He fell on his knees
and thanked Heaven for the glorious vision.
The men, seeing him kneel, rushed eagerly forward,
and joined in his exultation and wonder. Rising, he
formally took possession of land and sea, in the name
of the king of Spain. Crosses and mounds of stone
were erected, and the name of the king was cut on
surrounding trees. This done, they began their de-
scent towards the sea, still several days' journey dis-
tant. The shore reached, he ran into the water with
drawn sword, and called on all to witness that he took
possession of that mighty ocean in the name of his
lord and master, the king of Spain.
Poor Balboa, he was wasting his loyalty on a mon-
arch who had listened to the voice of his enemv and
IN AMERICA 45
was sending out a governor to take his place. This
man, named Davila, was a cruel and heartless wretch,
a sort of human tiger, who treated the natives so
terribly that a historian of the time said he would have
to meet the souls of two million murdered Indians at
the judgment day. With him came many of the cava-
liers of Spain, eager to seek wealth in Golden Castile.
Enciso was one of these, and at once had Balboa
arrested and tried on various charges, but he had an
honest judge and was acquitted of them all. The gov-
ernor was hard to deal with, but Balboa was genial
and good tempered and managed to keep peace with
him for two years.
When the king heard of his discoveries, he ap-
pointed him adelantado, or admiral, giving him the
rank on the sea that Davila had been given on the
land. He at once resolved to explore the ocean he
had discovered, with thoughts in his mind, no doubt,
of reaching the golden land of Peru.
But to do this an enormous labor was necessar3^
The ships that lay in the harbor of Darien had to be
taken to pieces, and months were spent in carrying
their heavy pieces across the rock-bound isthmus to
the Pacific shores. Here they were put together, four
brigantines being built, to man which there were three
hundred men. In these Balboa set sail and reached
the Pearl Islands, but contrary winds prevented his
going farther. Besides, some iron and pitch were
needed to complete the vessels, and men were sent
across the isthmus to obtain these materials.
During this time Davila was growing very jealous
and avaricious. If there was gold and fame to be had,
he did not want Balboa to win this glory and wealth.
Some enemies of the admiral also came to Him with
stories of things he had said, and these the suspicious
46 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
governor decided were treasonable against himself as
the king's viceroy. Here was the opportunity he
wanted. Fortunately for his designs, the need of pitch
and iron had delayed the expedition.
He sent a crafty letter to Balboa, written in the
friendliest style, asking him to come to Ada, the
capital town, and confer with him on some matters of
business. Suspecting no treachery, Balboa at once
obeyed. But when he came near Ada he was met by
a body of troops, led by his old comrade Pizarro, who
arrested him in the govenor's name.
Davila lost no time in carrying out his treacherous
plan. Balboa was at once put on trial on the charge
of treason, and without delay was condemned to death,
Davila forcing the judge to impose this sentence. The
people, who loved Balboa, heard of this cruel sentence
wnth grief, and implored Davila to pardon their friend,
but he was not to be moved from his purpose. Before
the sun set that day the discoverer of the Pacific had
been tried, condemned, and beheaded in the public
square of Ada, together with four of his friends.
Thus died one of the noblest and ablest of the Span-
ish adventurers, the man who, but for this treachery,
might have added to his fame that of the conquest of
Peru. Sad it was that he was cut off thus early in his
career. Had this warm-hearted man, instead of the
cruel and treacherous Pizarro, been the conqueror of
Peru, Spain would doubtless have escaped the most
shameful chapter in her history.
IN AMERICA 47
PONCE DE LEON AND THE FOUNTAIN
OF YOUTH
Where lies the far-famed Fountain of Youth, that
spring of sparkling and bubbling waters around which
bloom undying groves of glowing verdure, and whose
life-giving streams have the magic power of restoring
youth and strength to limbs wasted by age ? It dwells
somewhere in the great realm of the imagination, a
kingdom peopled by multitudes of fanciful visions.
But in past times it was thought to exist somewhere
upon the solid earth, and many men sought it in vain.
The most celebrated of these was Juan Ponce de
Leon, one of the Spanish cavaliers who sailed with
Columbus across the seas.
Though men talked of the Fountain of Youth, no
man had an idea where it lay. It had been dreamed
of for centuries, but was supposed to be hidden in
some distant and difficult land. Marco Polo had
brought back from the far east of Asia so many tales
of wonder that it began to be beheved that the fabled
fountain might spring up somewhere in this remote
region. And as the land discovered by Columbus was
thought to be eastern Asia, it was natural to conclude
that somewhere within its confines might be hidden the
magic fount.
So thought Ponce de Leon, governor of the island
of Porto Rico. How old he was we do not well know,
but age was certainly creeping upon him and laying
its stiffening hand on his once active limbs. The old
cavalier, like so many since his days, began to dread
these signs of coming age and eagerly to ask the na-
48 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
tives if they could tell him about the magical fountain
of youth, which he fancied might lie somewhere in
these tropic lands.
Whether the Indians knew just what he meant is
very doubtful. Their knowledge of Spanish must have
been then very slight, but they probably were ready to
tell him anything that would take the stern old op-
pressor out of their land. It is said, indeed, that they
had a tradition that such a fount existed on the island
of Bimini, one of the Bahamas, and that nearby was
a river with water possessing the same wonderful
powers. This marvellous stream some of the Span-
iards regarded as the Jordan, transferred to the New
World.
De Leon was afraid of growing old, but, like so
many of the Spaniards of his day, he does not seem
to have been afraid of anything else. When Columbus
set out on his first voyage to the unknown west, De
Leon was fighting in the army of King Ferdinand
against the Moors of Spain, and none in that army was
braver than he. In the autumn of 1493, when the
great discoverer set sail on his second voyage, the
wars were at an end, and De Leon took part in the
expedition. He fought as bravely against the Indians
of Hispaniola as against the Moors of Spain, and after-
wards invaded the fair island of Porto Rico, which he
conquered in 1509, making himself its governor.
Wealth had come to him from his great possessions
in the New World, and he prayed to be young again
that he might enjoy with youthful zest what his good
sword and his cruel hand had won. This it was that
set him on his mad quest for the fabled fountain of
youth.
It lay in the north, that unknown north, of which
the Spaniards as yet knew nothing beyond those isles
IN AMERICA 49
of beauty which Cokimbus had first seen. The fount
he sought might be hidden in one of those verdant
Bahaman isles, or in some land beyond never yet
visited. Eager to find it and test its magic power, the
old cavalier got ready a squadron of three vessels, and
on March 3, 15 13, set out on his fanciful quest.
Returning on the track of Columbus, the fair Ba-
hamas were first reached, and the little fleet threaded
their tropic channels, De Leon landing on the island of
Bimini and other isles and searching eagerly but vainly
for the magic fount. Disappointed in this, he sailed
onward to the west, and on March 27 came within
sight of one of the loveliest lands he had ever seen.
Tropic luxuriance and brilliant flowers were every-
where visible. The name of Florida, which he gave
the new-seen land, seems as if he wished to name it
the " land of flowers." But the day on which he saw
it was Easter Sunday, the Spanish name for which is
Pascua Florida, and doubtless it was from this the
new land was named.
If the land was fair, the weather was not, and the
ships were forced to keep off shore until April 9, when
the winds abated and they were able to land near the
mouth of St. John's River, probably not far from the
site of the present city of St. Augustine. It may be
that the foot of Ponce De Leon was the first white
man's foot to press the soil of the future United States
since the far-off age of the Northmen, for we do not
know if the Cabots or any other navigator of the north
had landed within its bounds.
What the age-weary cavalier did after landing we
do not know, but it is a romantic idea to imagine that
he searched far and wide for the sparkling fountain
that was to bring back youth to his aged limbs. He
and his followers may have sought the fount or river
4
50 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
throug-h the green woodlands, bathing in all the waters
they met, the meanest of his crew perhaps being in-
fected with the wild hope that filled his romantic brain.
The springs of sparkling water may have attracted
them most hopefully, since they might well look for
the fountain of youth to be itself instinct with life and
vital energy. We do not know just what they did,
but at any rate no one of them found the waters of
youth, and the hand of age still kept its grasp.
Down the coast they sailed, league after league, per-
haps landing at times to search for the magic spring.
But, though months may have passed in this hopeless
quest, the fountain of youth lay hidden from human
eyes, and at length De Leon sailed back whence he
had come, very likely a sadly disappointed man.
But if he had not found the enchanted fountain, his
voyage had not been in vain. He had reached a new
land, the " Island of Florida," as he called it and sup-
posed it to be. He returned to Spain to tell the king
of his discovery, and Ferdinand rewarded him by
making him governor of Florida, with the privilege of
planting a colony upon its shores.
It was a fatal privilege. De Leon returned in 1521
with men to form the colony, but he found the natives
far from consenting to this invasion of their land.
What the Spaniards did to anger them we do not
know, but they had been hostile on his former visit
and they were doubly hostile now, greeting the new-
comers with showers of poisoned arrows. It proved
impossible to establish the colony, and in his fierce
battles with the natives De Leon received a severe
arrow wound. The brave Indians were left masters
of their land and the ships sailed away.
As it went onward the venom of the arrow sank
deeper into the old man's blood, and soon after reach-
IN AMERICA 51
ing Cuba he died. He had found death instead of
youth in the land of flowers, and since his day no one
has set out upon his fanciful quest. Too strong a color
of romance has perhaps been given to De Leon's ad-
venture, which may have been devoted to more material
interests. Yet, to quote from the historian Robertson,
" The Spaniard^ at that period were engaged in a
career of activity which gave a romantic turn to their
imagination and daily presented to them strange and
marvellous objects. They seemed to be transported
into enchanted ground ; and. after the wonders they
had seen, nothing in the warmth and novelty of their
imagination, appeared to them so extraordinary as
to be beyond belief." In view of the fact that Colum-
bus " boasted of having found the seat of Paradise, it
will not appear strange that Ponce De Leon should
dream of discovering the Fountain of Youth."
52 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
THE VOYAGES OF CORTEREAL AND
VERRAZANO
Of the voyagers who followed the Cabots to the
coast of North America we know httle more than we
do of the Cabots themselves, though in our list of dis-
coverers we cannot omit the more important of them.
The first to follow the Cabots were two Portuguese
brothers, Caspar and Miguel Cortereal. Gentlemen
they were, of high consideration in their native land,
though of what they did beyond the seas we know
very little. Caspar seems to have made two or three
voyages in 1500 and 1501, but from the last of them
he never returned. Then, in 1502, his brother Miguel
sailed in search of him, but he also was swallowed up
by the seas and never saw Portugal again, though two
of his ships got back.
Caspar Cortereal called the land he found Terra de
Labrador, — " land of laborers," — a name which later
was given to a country farther north, the present Lab-
rador. He sailed some six hundred or seven hundred
miles along the coast till stopped by ice at about 50°
north. He found seas full of fish and shores covered
with stately forests rich in verdure, many of the great
pines being tall enough for the highest masts. The
people were of the color of gypsies, well-made, intelli-
gent and modest, living in wooden houses, and clothed
in the skins of wild beasts. The people of Portugal
learned what they were like, for he brought back fifty
of them, who were sold as slaves. Some white bears
were also brought home in his ships. And that is
IN AMERICA 53
about all we know of the voyages of Caspar Cortereal.
More important than these Portuguese voyages was
that made by Ciovanni da Verrazano, a native of Flor-
ence, Italy, where he was born about 1480. What
gives his voyage importance is the fact that it was the
first expedition sent to the New World by France,
which country was afterwards to play so great a part
in North America.
While Spain, Portugal, and England were sending
their ships across the seas, France lay idle, taking no
part therein. But about 1523 Francis I., a warlike
and energetic monarch, made up his mind that his
country was losing its chance in the great game of
discovery. He wrote to Charles V. of Spain that " as
he and the king of Portugal had divided the earth
between them, without giving him a share of it, he
should like them to show him our father Adam's will,
in order to know if he had made them his sole heirs."
Unless they could show this will he warned them that
he felt free to take all he could get.
This spicy letter was followed by quick action, Ver-
razano being chosen to command a French exploring
party. If Francis wanted a man who knew the west-
ern seas, Verrazano was the one to select, since for
years before he had been sailing over these seas and
taking all he could get from Spain. In short, he had
long been a corsair in the French service, and in 1523
he captured a Spanish ship laden with the rich treasure
sent by Cortes from Mexico to the emperor Charles
V. We do not know if it was this that led to a com-
plaint from Charles and Francis's brisk reply, but we
do know that early the next year Verrazano was given
a ship, the " Dauphine," manned by about fifty men,
and sent across the seas " to discover new lands" for
the king of France.
54 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Verrazano sailed across the mid-Atlantic and first
saw land in the latitude of 34° N., probably near Cape
Fear, North Carolina, " a newe land never before seen
by any man either auncient or moderne." From this
point he ran south about fifty leagues, then turned and
sailed steadily to the north. He found the shore
covered with fine sand, rising in the rear into little
hills. The coast seemed bordered with islands,
through which the sea broke in inlets. Farther back
there lay a country with beautiful fields and broad
plains covered with vast forests of varied hue and
foliage, while clambering vines festooned the trees.
Streams and lakes diversified this beautiful scene,
the air was fragrant with the perfume of multitudes
of wild flowers, song-birds of gay plumage gave life
and music to the air, and beasts of the chase added
variety to the prospect. As for the natives, they
seemed gentle and friendly. A boat was sent out from
the ship, and a sailor sprang overboard and swam to-
wards the shore with beads and other presents for
them. As he drew near, however, he became alarmed,
flung his presents ashore, and started to swim back.
But the surf flung him on the beach, where the natives
seized him by arms and legs, answering his cries for
help by wild yells.
The poor fellow was now in a panic of fear. What
would they do with him? His fear deepened into
terror when he saw them gather wood and build a fire
on the sand. Did they propose to roast and eat
him? To his great relief and that of his friends on
the ship, all they did was to bring him to the fire
and dry him by its cheerful blaze, after which they led
him back, embracing him with a warm show of affec-
tion, and permitting him to return in safety to the
boat.
IN AMERICA 55
It cannot be said that the mariners treated the na-
tives with equal kindness and courtesy, for soon after
they tried to carry off a beautiful young girl whom
they found on the shore, offering tempting presents to
lure her within their reach. But the frightened maiden
flimg their gifts angrily down and screamed so loudly
that they thought it best to let her alone. A child
who was with her was taken in her stead.
Continuing his voyage northward, Verrazano put in
at many inlets, one of which seems to have been the
Bay of New York. Here he saw " a region commo-
dious and delightful." Another stopping-point may
have been Narragansett Bay. The country here was
very pleasant, well watered, and with open plains.
Fruit-trees abounded, and there were stately forests
well filled with animals. The natives dwelt in houses
of split logs, thatched with straw, and here two chiefs,
dressed in their choicest finery, paid him a visit of
ceremony.
On reaching the northern coast of New England,
he found the natives much less friendly than farther
south. They were willing to trade, but would not let
the Frenchmen set foot on land. The furs and food
they had to exchange were let down by ropes from the
rocks into the boats, and they insisted on being paid
with fish hooks, knives, and other articles for each lot
before lowering any more. Nor did they hesitate to
express their feeling for the whites by insulting signs.
In view of this Verrazano made up his mind that these
poor savages had no sense of religion. Probably they
had seen white men before and knew they were not
to be trusted, for many fishermen, who had very little
sense of religion, were now visiting those waters.
Cabot's report of the vast shoals of codfish he had
seen on the banks of Newfoundland had aroused the
56 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
adventurous fishermen of Brittany and Normandy,
many of whom soon began to seek these rich fishing
grounds. Some of them discovered and named the
island of Cape Breton, and as early as 1506 John Denys
explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Verrazano continued his voyage to the latitude of
50° N., and by his discoveries laid the foundation for
the French claim to the lands and waters of the north.
What became of him after his return we do not know.
One account says that he was caught by the Spaniards
in 1527 and hung as a pirate. Another says that in
a second voyage to America he was roasted and eaten
by the Indians. One of these stories is worth as much
as the other, for both of them are very doubtful, and
no one can say what became of the Florentine corsair
and mariner.
IN AMERICA 57
FERDINAND MAGELLAN AND THE CIR-
CUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE
Columbus hoped to reach Asia by sailing westward,
and during- all his later life fancied that he had done
so, believing that the shores he had reached were those
of Asia. Many of those who followed him set out with
the same idea and entertained the same fancy. But the
great feat of reaching Asia by sailing to the west was re-
served for a daring Portuguese sailor, Ferdinand Ma-
gellan, who succeeded in this wonderful exploit in
15 19. His work, in its way, was as great and its re-
sults were as stupendous as those of the voyages of
Columbus, and the story of his exploit stands high in
the history of discovery and exploration. He gave to
the knowledge of the world the vast breadth of that
mighty western ocean upon which Balboa had gazed
in wonder from a peak in Darien.
Magellan was born in 1480 in one of the wildest
mountain sections of Portugal. He grew to be a man
of power and daring ; a man of fiery black eyes, great
arching brows, firm lips, and powerful jaws, half hid-
den by a shaggy beard. Yet with the face of a pirate
or a conqueror, he was not harsh or cruel, being in-
deed kind-hearted and generous, ready at any time to
risk his life for the safety of another. Yet he was of
massive strength and unconquerable will.
In 1505 Magellan went to India, then the haven of
adventurous Portuguese. Here he spent seven years
in the service of the viceroys of Portugal, sailing
about, touching on new shores, fighting with Arabs
and Malays. In 1509 he fought like a hero in one of
58 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
these encounters, in which a gang of Malays sought
to capture four ships, trading for spices with Malacca.
In 151 1 he was on a ship that was wrecked on a lonely
island. While a shipload of Malay pirates were delving
among the spoil, the ambushed Portuguese seized the
pirate ship and sailed triumphantly away.
Such was the type of Magellan's service in Indian
waters. In 15 12 he returned to Portugal, and for a
year or more was a soldier, fighting with the Moors
in Morocco, where he received a lance thrust in the
knee that lamed him for life. After 15 14, Magellan
had nothing special to do, and spent his time in the
study of navigation. To the maps of the known world,
as then existing, he gave close attention. What was
the extent of the unknown world? What waters lay
untraversed between the east and the west? Whither
spread that great South Sea on which Balboa had
gazed? He had left a warm friend, Captain Serrano,
in the Moluccas, the spice islands of the Indian archi-
pelago. Could he join this friend by sailing to the west
instead of to the east ? Such are some of the questions
which seem to have passed through Magellan's busy
brain in those days of seeming idleness.
Full of his scheme, like Columbus lie first sought
aid from the king of Portugal, and when this monarch
would not listen to him went with his plans to Spain.
Ferdinand and Isabella, the patrons of Columbus, had
now passed away, and a boy king, Charles V., ruled
the Spanish realm. The ardent Magellan found it easy
to interest the young monarch. Men's ideas about the
earth had expanded since those days when Columbus
trudged wearily for years from court to court. The
king ordered an expedition to be fitted out, and on
September 20, 15 19, Magellan's little fleet, composed
of five small ships, the largest being of one hundred
IN AMERICA 59
and twenty tons, spread its sails and stood out to
sea.
A sorry fleet it was, hardly as well fitted for its work
as that of Columbus. The ships were all old, and
well on the way towards being worn out. There were
about two hundred and eighty men on board, a mot-
ley crew, gathered from half of Europe, and including
some negroes and Malays. As for the captains, there
was only one that Magellan could trust. This was
Juan Serrano, a brother of his friend, Captain Ser-
rano, of the Moluccas. The others were not to be de-
pended upon.
In fact, when King Emmanuel of Portugal learned
that the man whom he had refused had found a pa-
tron in Spain, he determined that he should not suc-
ceed. Ruffians were hired to lurk about Seville and
stab him if an opportunity offered. Captains in the
East Indies were ordered to intercept his fleet if it
should reach those waters. His own officers seem to
have been bought over. A caravel overtook the fleet,
when it had been a few days at sea, with a message to
Magellan from Barbosa, his wife's father, bidding him
to be careful, for his captains had told their friends
before sailing that if they had any trouble with him
they would kill him, Magellan heard the news with
an iron face, and sent word back that, true or false,
he feared them not, and would do his work in spite
of them. Thus with a crazy fleet, a motley crew, and
faithless captains, Magellan set sail on the most stu-
pendous of voyages that man had ever undertaken.
What we know of the voyage comes chiefly from
the journal of the Chevalier Pigafetta, who had joined
the ships " to see the marvels of the ocean," and kept
a strict account of what he saw. The weather did not
favor the adventurers. From the Canary Islands they
6o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
sailed down the African coast and ran into a calm in
which they floated idly about for three weary weeks.
Then storms struck them, and they had a month of
fearful weather in which they hardly dared show a sail.
Food and water grew scarce, rations were cut down,
discontent broke out. Cartagena, one of the captains,
came on board the flag-ship " Trinidad" one day with
threats and insults for the admiral. To his conster-
nation, Magellan collared him, put him in irons, and
set another captain over his ship. He had been warned
against his captains and was ready for them.
They reached the coast of Brazil on November 29,
and on January 11, 1520, came to the broad mouth of
the La Plata River. No one knew then whether this
great stream was a mere river or a strait leading to
the vast South Sea. In those days, and long after,
nearly every river was thought to be such a strait.
Nearly a century later John Smith thought he might
reach the western ocean by way of James River, and
Henry Hudson by way of the stream that bears his
name. No one dreamed of the true width of the great
continent. Magellan spent three weeks in finding out
that the La Plata was a river and not a strait.
Convinced that there was somewhere such a strait,
he sailed on southward, following the coast of Pata-
gonia. Here fierce and constant storms tossed his
ships, and the winter of the south came on with biting
cold. Deeming it dangerous to go onward, on the
last day of March, 1520, he anchored for winter-quar-
ters in the harbor of Port St. Julian, where there was
abundance of fish. On the next day, which chanced to
be Easter Sunday, the long-growing mutiny broke out.
Reasons for this were not wanting. Weeks of calm
had been followed by months of storm. Food was
growing very scarce. The strait sought for became
IN AMERICA 6i
more and more mythical. Their old ships had been
so strained by storm that they seemed unsafe to sail
in. But Magellan would not listen to the thought of
turning back. If no strait could be found, the conti-
nent must somewhere have an end. He would go on
until he sailed round it and found a way into the ocean
of the west. Not that he was harsh in his language.
He sought to persuade, appealed to their pride as
Spaniards, spoke of the rich prizes that awaited them.
But Magellan was of the true metal of great dis-
coverers. He was inflexible in carrying out his pur-
pose. Fear or doubt had no place in his strong soul.
Discontent grew, and when the ships sought the har-
bor of St. Julian to spend six weary months in the
sharp chill of a southern winter, the patience of others
besides the faithless captains gave way. The soil was
fertile for a mutinous revolt.
The blow was struck on Easter Sunday night. Cap-
tain Quesada, of the " Concepcion," and Mendoza, of
the " Victoria," with the deposed Captain Cartagena,
who had been sent in irons on board the " Victoria,'*
boarded the " San Antonio," Cartagena's late ship,
with thirty men, seized the new captain, Mesquita, and
put him in irons, and set one of their own men, Sebas-
tian Elcano, in command. All this was done so quickly
and quietly that nothing was known of it on board the
flagship " Trinidad" .till Monday morning dawned.
The first news of the night's work came on Mon-
day, when a boat from the " Trinidad" was ordered to
keep away from the " San Antonio," whose officers
said that they were no longer under Magellan's com-
mand. When this news was brought to the admiral,
his firm jaw took its iron set and his fiery eyes blazed
out. He sent the boat off again to find out how far
the conspiracy had spread. It came back with word
62 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
that only one ship remained loyal, the '" Santiago,"
under Captain Serrano.
Soon after a message came from Captain Quesada
to the admiral. The mutinous captains wanted to hold
a conference with their old commander. " You can have
it," said Magellan. " Come on board the * Trinidad,'
and we will talk the matter over." That was more
than they had any idea of doing ; they were too shrewd
to put their heads in the lion's mouth. But Magellan
was as little inclined to meet them on board the " San
Antonio," as they wished him to do.
So far the mutineers had had it all their own way.
But they did not know the kind of man they had to
deal with in Ferdinand Magellan. Bold and daring
in nature, he was a man of action and expedients.
Knowing that the crew of the " Victoria" was less mu-
tinous than those of the other two ships, he lost no time
in moving against this vessel. A boat was got ready,
manned by a score of armed and trusty men, with Bar-
bosa, his wife's brother, at their head. Holding this
in readiness, another boat, in which was Espinosa, his
alguasil, or constable, with five men, was sent to the
" Victoria." Its captain, Mendoza, had no fear of this
small party, and let it come on board. At once Espi-
nosa served on him a formal notice to come to the
flag-ship. His refusal was followed by a tragedy.
Espinosa sprang upon him and plunged a dagger into
his throat. As he droppe;' dead to the deck, Bar-
bosa's boat dashed up, its men sprang on board with
drawn cutlasses, and the crew, taken by surprise, at
once surrendered.
Magellan, by his promptness and decision, had won
the odds in the game. With three ships under his con-
trol he had the other two at an advantage. That
night he opened fire on the " San Antonio," and sent
IN AMERICA 6z
out strong parties, which boarded it on both sides at
once, Quesada and his mutinous crew being captured.
Seeing that the game was at an end, the captain of
the " Concepcion" lost no time in surrendering, and
thus, within twenty-four hours, the formidable mutiny,
which had long been gathering and threatened to
ruin the expedition, was completely quelled. As for its
leaders, Magellan dealt severely with them. Quesada,
their leading spirit, was beheaded. Cartagena and a
priest named Pero Sanchez, his confederate, were
kept in irons until the fleet sailed, and were then set on
shore on the iron coast of Patagonia and left to their
fate. After that stern lesson no one dared whisper
mutiny on board the fleet.
Time passed on, and the long winter neared its end.
During its course one of the vessels, the " Santiago,"
was wrecked while out exploring, its men being
rescued. Serrano, its captain, was given command of
the " Concepcion."' On August 24 the remaining ves-
sels, which had been put in repair, once more set sail,
the mariners bidding farewell to the giant Patago-
nians, of whom they had seen much during the
winter.
Tempests still troubled them, and nearly two months
passed before, sailing steadily southward, they
rounded a headland and found themselves in a large
open bay. Was this an opening to the strait they so
long had sought ? Some thought so ; others doubted
it ; but Magellan tested it by sailing inward. It proved
to be a twisting and winding passage, here wide, there
narrow, but everywhere the water was deep and salt,
and they soon became sure that the strait at last was
found. It was the labyrinthine passage between the
mountainous coasts of Patagonia and Tierra del
Fuego, now known as the Strait of Magellan, the
64 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
only place in all the lands and seas he traversed that
bears his name.
A new question now arose. The strait they sought
was found, but provisions were running very low.
Had they not done enough? Would it not be best to
return to Spain with the story of what they had
discovered? "No," answered Magellan, in quiet but
resolute tones. " I will go on and finish my work if I
have to eat the leather off the ship's yards."
After that there was nothing to say, but the dis-
contented had an answer of their own. There were
many of them on the " San Antonio," and these seized
the captain, Mesquita, put him in irons, chose a new
captain, and set sail for Spain, Gomez, their pilot, navi-
gating the ship. They reached there after six months,
where they excused themselves by lying about Magel-
lan. For his part he did not know what had become
of them, and, on emerging from the strait into the
open sea, he had a cross raised on the top of a high
hill as a signal to the " San Antonio" if she should
come that way.
The voyagers were at length afloat on the waters
they so long had desired to reach, the great ocean
which Balboa had seen at the other extremity of South
America and named the South Sea. So mild and
pleasant did it appear to Magellan, in contrast with
the fierce Atlantic storms they had encountered, that
he named it the Pacific Ocean, the name it still bears.
So much had been done, but more and worse lay
before them. Hitherto much of their journey had been
over known waters, now they were afloat on an ocean
on which sail had never been set, and of whose vast-
ness they did not dream. Had they known what lay
before them even the iron-hearted Magellan might
have turned back in dismay. But he headed north-
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IN AMERICA 65
ward to escape the wintry chill, and sailed steadily
into the vast unknown, while months and months
passed by and still the waves heaved and rolled about
them, and some of them began to think that mighty
ocean had no end.
It was in October that they sailed through the moun-
tain-bordered strait. Nearly three months passed be-
fore they saw land again, and then it was only a little
islet in the unfathomable ocean. Eleven days more
brought them to another rocky isle, where there was
neither water nor food. They had already gone in the
Pacific twice as far as Columbus sailed after he left
the Canaries, and they would have utterly despaired
if they had known that five thousand miles were to be
passed before they would see land again.
As they went on their sufferings were terrible.
Their food was gone. Their water was unfit to drink.
Magellan's words came true, they were forced to eat
the leather off the ship's yards. This they dragged
through the sea with ropes for several days to soften
it. Scurvy attacked them, and many died. Others
grew so weak with hunger that they could scarcely lift
their hands. Fortunately, the ocean kept true to its
name of Pacific, and no storm assailed them. There
was nothing to do but to go on. To go back now
would mean certain death.
At length, on March 6, 1521, their eyes gladly gazed
on land again, large and fertile islands, whose people
proved such inveterate thieves that they named them
the Ladrones, or robbers' islands. Here their dread-
ful sufferings ended, for they found fruit and meat
in plenty. Ten days later the three ships reached the
islands now known as the Philippines, and the mighty
work of circumnavigating the globe was practically at
an end, for Magellan soon learned that he was not far
5
66 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
from the Moluccas, where he had left Captain Serrano
years before.
The great navigator had won undying fame, but he
was near the end of his career. After his wonderful
success, a desire to convert the people of these islands
to Christianity led to his death. The king of the island
of Cebu and his people were quite ready to burn their
idols and to accept the white men's god, but when the
king of Cebu called on the neighboring king of Matan
to do him homage as a Christian, the pagan king re-
fused. War broke out ; Magellan and his men were
drawn into it; a fight took place on April 27, 1521,
in which the Spaniards were driven to their boats by
hosts of islanders, and Magellan, who fought bravely
among the last, was hurled to the earth and thrust
through with a dozen deadly weapons. Thus, in the
effort to convert pagans by force of arms, the hero of
two great oceans lost his life.
We must briefly complete our tale. Of the two hun-
dred and eighty men who had sailed from Spain nearly
a year and a half before, only one hundred and fifteen
now remained. Of their ships, the " Concepcion,"
being no longer seaworthy, was dismantled and
burned. The " Trinidad" and " Victoria" were alone
left, and in these the survivors sailed to the Moluccas,
where they spent some time in trading. Here the
" Trinidad" sprang a leak, and while she was being
repaired the little " Victoria," with forty-seven men
under Captain Elcano, set sail for home. It was now
December 18.
On May 16, 1522, she rounded the Cape of Good
Hope, with scurvy and starvation thinning her crew,
and her masts in bad condition. The equator was
crossed on June 8. On July 13 some men who had
landed at the Cape Verde Islands for food were seized
IN AMERICA 67
by the Portuguese, and the Httle ship had to make
haste away. At last, on September 6, 1522, exactly
thirty years after Columbus had sailed on his memo-
rable cruise, the " Victoria" sailed into the Guadal-
quivir, with eighteen half-starved survivors to tell of
her victory over the great oceans of the earth. As for
the " Trinidad," she never reached Europe again, and
of her crew only Captain Espinosa and three men
lived to set eyes once more on Spain.
Thus ended the most remarkable ocean voyage ever
undertaken. Fifty-five years passed before the earth
was again circumnavigated, this time by Sir Francis
Drake, but he sailed over comparatively known seas,
and his exploit sinks into insignificance as compared
with that of the intrepid Magellan, who plunged fear-
lessly into the vast unknown.
It is sad that he did not survive to wear the crest
granted by the sovereign of Spain, a globe, round
which ran the proud inscription, " Thou first encom-
passed me." His wife and child were also dead, and
the crest, with a pension, was granted to Elcano, cap-
tain of the "Victoria," who had been one of the old
mutineers. Espinosa, who did so much to quell the
mutiny, was also made a noble of Spain and pensioned
by the king.
68 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
FERDINAND CORTES AND THE CON-
QUEST OF MEXICO
While the Spaniards were settling the West India
Islands, peopled by simple-minded natives, and ex-
ploring the coast lands of South America, many of the
inhabitants of which were warlike savages, they little
dreamed that westward from Cuba lay a rich and popu-
lous country with highly developed arts and customs
and a civilization of its own. In 1517 Francisco de
Cordova touched on the shores of this land, and, to his
surprise, saw well-clad people and large stone build-
ings. Juan de Grijalva went there the next year.
When he came back to Cuba, he brought startling
news that stirred up the Spaniards as they had not
been stirred since Columbus came back from his first
voyage.
They still had the idea that it was Asia that Co-
lumbus had reached, and looked in vain for the rich
island of Cipango and the great empire of Cathay, or
China, of which Marco Polo had brought back such
glowing accounts. But where were the riches and
magnificence of the Orient for which their souls
craved? They had found only forest-grown coun-
tries, with rude villages instead of splendid cities,
and half-naked savages instead of civilized peoples.
It is not surprising that they grew hopeless and dis-
contented, and that their hopes were kindled anew
when Grijalva brought back news of a land profuse in
gold and treasures and where a mighty king ruled
over many cities and a great nation. This, they said,
must be the Great Khan of Cathay ; this the land which
Columbus had sought to reach.
IN AMERICA 69
Here was a haven of glory and gold. The tidings
roused the Spanish cavaliers like the sound of a mar-
tial trumpet. Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, at
once determined to send out an expedition for the
conquest of this glittering prize. Volunteers were
many among the adventurous spirits swarming around
him. The important thing was to find a commander
suited for so great and perilous an enterprise. As it
chanced the man was at hand, a man formed by nature
to make one of the great captains of the world. His
name was Hernando Cortes.
Had he sought the world over, Velasquez could not
have found a man better fitted for such an enterprise
than the one whom fortune had placed at his right
hand. Kin 1504 Cortes, an adventurous and ambitious
young Spaniard, had come over seas to Hispaniola.
In 151 1 he had helped Velasquez in the conquest of
Cuba, and was now alcalde, or chief judge, of the new
town of Santiago in that island. A genial, reckless,
fun-loving fellow, as he had always seemed, he made
friends wherever he went, getting into many scrapes
by his wild pranks and getting out of them again by
his bold daring. Such was the man who asked Velas-
quez for the command of the expedition to Mexico,
and to whom Velasquez granted it.
No one, not even Cortes himself, knew the kind of
man that Cortes really was. He had abilities not yet
developed. He was the man to rise to the height of
a great opportunity. Brave as Achilles, crafty and
persistent as Ulysses, fertile in expedients, unscrupu-
lous in action, coolest and readiest when danger was
greatest, with the faculty of winning the loyalty and
affection of his followers, the daring to face the most
perilous situations, and the intuitive knowledge of the
right thing to do at the moment of greatest peril, Her-
70 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
nando Cortes was born to take rank with the great
captains of the earth.
He showed what was in him at the start. Velasquez
grew afraid to trust him, and resolved to take the com-
mand from his hands and put another man in his place.
Cortes received his messages politely, but sailed away.
He was not the man for a Spanish governor to play
fast and loose with.
The expedition he commanded consisted of ten ships
manned by six hundred and seventeen men, under ex-
perienced captains and well provided with weapons and
munitions of war. He landed in Mexico on March 4,
1 5 19, his ships, his artillery, his horses, the steel armor
worn by himself and his men, their clothing, their com-
plexion, all filling the Mexicans with awe and admira-
tion. To them the new-comers seemed divine beings.
Cortes quickly showed the metal of which he was
made. Soon after landing he laid out a new town
which he named Vera Cruz, framed a government, gave
up his commission from Velasquez, and had the new
government elect him captain-general of the expedition.
Then he did the most daring thing of his life, — he had
his ships scuttled and sunk. This was the act of a man
who meant conquest or death ; he had destroyed the
means of return, and taught his men that all their hopes
lay ahead, none lay behind. They stood on the shores
of a populous and warlike kingdom which they must
win or perish. It looked, indeed, as if only death lay
before them, for the attempt to conquer an empire with
such a force seemed the act of madness. The destruc-
tion of the ships was one of those acts of desperate
valor which only men of genius perform.
It was a daring march which the band of Cortes
made inward, — four hundred and fifty armed men in
all, with six small cannon and fifteen horses. It was
IN AMERICA 71
the horses with steel-clad warriors on their backs that
frightened the people far more than everything else.
Terrible monsters they seemed, half man, half beast,
from which the inhabitants fled in mortal terror. On
and on went the Spaniards, Montezuma, the emperor
of the Aztecs, sending messengers to stop them, but
sending no soldiers to attack them. Gradually they
climbed up from the coast lands to the upper level,
seven thousand feet above sea level. The Aztecs
seemed paralyzed by this steady invasion of their coun-
try, and even let the Spaniards throw down their idols
without raising a hand in their defence.
The first active foes they found were the Tlascalans,
a warlike tribe which the Aztecs had for years sought
in vain to conquer. When the Spaniards marched
into their territory the bold Tlascalans made a fierce
attack upon them. They were armed with bows and
arrows, lances, slings, and swords with sharp blades
of obsidian, or lava glass. These weapons availed little
against the steel swords, the muskets and cannons of
the invaders, while the terrible horsemen swept
through and through the native ranks, making havoc
wherever they went. For two days the fight went on.
By the end of that time a multitude of the brave Tlas-
calans had fallen, and only one or two of the Span-
iards had been slain.
Then the Tlascalans planned a night attack, but
Cortes was alert and discovered their plans, defeating
the host waiting to fall on his camp. This dismayed
the Tlascalans. They were now glad to make an
alliance with these irresistible strangers, who fought
them with thunder and lightning and terrible beasts.
Cortes, by those few days of fighting, had made a
remarkable gain. He had now for allies the most
powerful enemies of the Aztecs. When he marched
y2 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
forward again, he had with him a large body of
the brave warriors of Tlascala, men who had al-
ways held their own against Montezuma's strongest
armies.
On reaching Cholula, a strong Aztec town, the
Spaniards were met by a delegation from the chiefs,
who gave them a warm welcome. The Tlascalans
were left outside, but the Spaniards were invited in
and kindly entertained. There was nothing to show
that this was a mere trap, that the chiefs of the town
had laid a plot to destroy the unwelcome invaders, and
had prepared a strong ambush to attack them un-
awares.
Cortes now faced one of the great perils of his life.
Fortunately, he had with him a handsome young In-
dian woman, who had fallen in love with him. Ma-
lina, as she was named, was shrewd and quick-witted.
She overheard the talk in the town, and discovered
the whole conspiracy, which she reported to Cortes.
The alert general lost no time. Cannon were placed
during the night in readiness to sweep the streets.
He invited the chiefs to visit him the next morn-
ing and receive his farewell. They came, not dream-
ing that their plot was exposed, and were thunder-
struck when he told them they were his prisoners, and
even picked out the most guilty of them.
As they talked a fearful noise met their ears, never
before heard in the streets of Cholula. It was the
roar of the cannon, whose balls were ploughing lanes
of death through the host of waiting warriors. At the
same time the Tlascalan allies rushed into the town
and cut down all they met. Hundreds, perhaps sev-
eral thousands, were slain before the massacre ceased.
A few of the captured chiefs were burned at the stake,
to fill the minds of the others with terror. When the
IN AMERICA 73
Spaniards marched out of Cholula, the land before
them lay in mortal dread.
Past town after town they went in peace and safety
until the great valley in which now lies the city of
Mexico was reached. This populous valley was
studded with cities and towns, and in its midst lay
the Aztec capital, in the centre of a large lake, with
narrow causeways connecting it with the main-land. It
was a place that might have been defended against a
hundred times their force if a soldier had sat on Mon-
tezuma's throne. But weak and vacillating, not sure
even yet that his visitors were mortal men, the scared
monarch opened his capital to them and invited them
into the central citadel of his kingdom.
It was on November 8, 1519, that Cortes and his
men, with their Tlascalan allies, marched into the in-
land city and took up their quarters in a great house
set aside for them by the emperor. But they were not
there a day before they saw their great danger. If
Montezuma should grow hostile to them they would
be like so many rats in a trap. How would they ever
escape from this city in the heart of a lake, and with
only narrow avenues leading to the land?
The situation was one that it needed a man of gen-
ius to meet. A decisive act, like that of the sinking
of the ships at Vera Cruz, must be taken. The step
taken by Cortes was one of extraordinary boldness. He
seized Montezuma in the heart of his kingdom and
held him prisoner. He had learned that the people
looked upon their emperor as a god, and would take no
step not commanded by him. With Montezuma in
their hands the Spaniards were lords of the country.
Meanwhile, Velasquez, the governor of Cuba, was
taking steps to punish Cortes for disobeying his or-
ders. He sent an expedition of eighteen ships and
74 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
twelve hundred soldiers to Vera Cruz to* arrest the
rebel and bring- him back. Cortes was not dismayed.
Leaving Alvarado, one of his captains, with one hun-
dred and fifty men, in the Aztec capital, he marched
with three hundred men to the coast, defeated Nar-
vaez by a night attack, told his men that wealth
awaited them in Mexico, and marched back with an
army more than four times as strong as that with
which he had come.
But meanwhile Alvarado was making mischief.
Fearful of being attacked by the Aztecs, he fell upon
them during a day of festival, and killed about six
hundred of them, many of their chiefs being slain.
This useless and cruel massacre maddened the peo-
ple, and when Cortes entered the city he found them
wild with rage. They called a council, elected Monte-
zuma's brother emperor in his place, and attacked the
Spaniards with a mighty host of warriors. A fright-
ful battle took place, in which the streets ran red with
blood.
Cortes, not knowing that a new emperor had been
elected, brought Montezuma to the roof of their
stronghold and bade him quiet the people. The at-
tempt was fatal to the poor Indian. Darts and stones
were hurled at him by the people, and one of these
inflicted a fatal wound. He died after a few days
of suffering.
Cortes had returned to the city on June 24. On
July I, the day after Montezuma's death, knowing that
his men would be blockaded and starved if they re-
mained, he led them from their stronghold and sought
to leave the city.
It was late at night. The city lay quiet. All seemed
lost in slumber. There was no hindrance to the march
of the Spaniards until they reached one of the great
IN AMERICA 75
causeways leading from the city. Then the capital
seemed suddenly to awake. The huge drums of the
priests beat loudly from the temple heights. Armed
men swarmed from every lane and street. Other hosts
appeared on the lake in canoes and attacked their ene-
mies on the narrow road. The drawbridges that
crossed the causeway had been removed, leaving wide
gaps of water to be crossed. Rarely has there been
a fiercer conflict or a more terrible night. It is still
known in history as la noche triste, the night of sad-
ness.
When the firm land was reached, of the twelve hun-
dred and fifty Spaniards only five hundred remained ;
of six thousand Tlascalans four thousand had perished ;
the eighty horses had been reduced to twenty. The
cannon were all gone, and forty Spaniards remained
alive in Aztec hands to be sacrificed to their terrible
god of war. Cortes seated himself on a rock, buried
his face in his hands, and shed bitter tears.
All seemed at an end. The only hope remaining
to the Spanish leader was to reach Tlascala and seek
for aid from his allies. But to reach there it was neces-
sary to pass through the valley of Otumba, and this
was found to be filled from side to side with furious
foes. Thousands upon thousands faced the few hun-
dreds of the Spaniards. There was only one thing to
do ; they must cut their way through this mighty mul-
titude or die. Die they would surely have done had
not Cortes beheld the great standard of the Aztecs,
cut his way through the dense throng surrounding it,
seized it, and hurled it to the ground. On seeing it fall
the Aztec host broke and fled in terror, and once more
Cortes and his men were safe.
In the six months that followed, Cortes worked like
a hero. He gained many allies among the tribes, most
76 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
of whom hated the Aztecs. His great victory at
Otumba had made them think him invincible. He
sent some of the ships of Narvaez to Hispaniola for
men, horses, and cannon, and gathered a force of
nearly a thousand well-armed men, eighty-six horses,
and a dozen cannon. He was ready to return.
On Christmas Day of 1520 the march back began,
Cortes being as determined as ever to conquer the
Aztec kingdom, and win Mexico for Spain. With
him were several thousand Indian warriors. As he
neared the doomed city, the Tezcucans, a powerful
tribe in alliance with the Aztecs, turned upon their
old friends and joined Cortes. A fleet of brigantines
was built and launched upon the lake. He was not
going to trust again to the causeways without support.
The siege that followed was long and bitterly con-
tested. The Aztecs were noted for their desperate
courage, and they now had a new leader, Guatemotzin,
a brave and able soldier. The fighting was incessant
and terrible. Step by step the besiegers fought their
way inward. Food failed the people, their city being
now hemmed in by foes, but they fought on through
hunger and thirst, death and ruin, until there was
scarcely a man left to fight. At length, on August 13,
1 52 1, the terrible contest came to an end, and what
was left of the capital of the Aztec kingdom lay in the
hands of Spain.
Cortes had conquered where perhaps not another
man then living in Spain could have succeeded. To
win a great and populous empire with a handful of
men demanded remarkable qualities, and Hernando
Cortes possessed these qualities. In view of the sur-
prising character of his conquest, he deserves to rank
among the greatest conquerors of the world.
IN AMERICA ^7
FRANCISCO PIZARRO AND THE LAND
OF THE INCAS
In the story of Balboa mention was made of a won-
derful land of gold, of which the Indians had told
him. It lay somewhere on the shores of the great
South Sea he had gazed upon, and he was preparing
to set sail for this realm of marvel when the cruel and
treacherous Davila put him to death. For seven years
afterwards nothing more was done. The golden king-
dom was suffered to rest in peace in the heart of the
unknown seas. But during this time the rich Aztec
empire had been invaded and conquered, and the dar-
ing warriors of Spain began to dream of new worlds
to win. The leader who now came forward was Fran-
cisco Pizarro, a comrade of Balboa in his great adven-
ture, and a man well fitted for the enterprise.
Pizarro came from the same part of Spain that had
given birth to Cortes and Balboa. He had been a
swineherd in his youth, and had no education, never
learning even to write his own name. But he was
bold and ambitious, and in time sought the New
World, where he took part in various daring and peril-
ous expeditions. He was cruel and unscrupulous, a
very different man from either Balboa and Cortes,
but he was brave, unyielding, and enterprising, and
fortune came to his aid.
By 1524, Davila, the murderer of Balboa, had
crossed the isthmus and built the city of Panama on
its western shores. This was the point of departure
of the new expedition, in which Pizarro was associ-
ated with two of his friends, by name Almagro and
78 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Luqiie. Governor Davila consented to the enterprise,
and the three friends prepared to invade the land of
gold.
The first expedition, sent out in 1524, got as far
as the San Juan River, not one-third of the way, and
then turned back, battered and worn. A second expe-
dition set sail in 1526, which also reached the San
Juan. From here Almagro was sent back for men and
provisions, and when he reached the San Juan again
he found Pizarro and his followers nearly dead with
hunger. Yet they sailed onward, this time coming
nearly to the equator, and landing on the miserable little
island of Gallo. Pizarro waited here while Almagro
once more went back to Panama for help.
As may be seen, there was plenty of staying power
in Francisco Pizarro. There was no food on the island
of Gallo. For weeks the fierce tropical rains poured
down on the heads of the miserable adventurers.
When at length a ship came to their rescue, it proved
to be one sent by the governor to bring back Pizarro
and his men. The governor had not permitted Al-
magro to return, and thought it time to put an end
to the whole mad business.
But he reckoned without Francisco Pizarro. Most
of his men, worn and weary, were glad of the chance
to return, but their resolute commander had set his
face forward and was bent on going ahead. Drawing
his long sword, he traced a line on the sandy beach.
" Ease and safety lie north of that line," he said ;
" gold and glory lie south. Choose which side you
will ; for me I choose the south."
He stepped across the line. Sixteen determined fel-
lows followed him. The rest chose the north, and
sailed away, leaving Pizarro and his bold sixteen to
face the horrors of the desolate isle. But they soon
IN AMERICA 79
built a raft, and paddled to the neighboring island
of Gorgona, where they lived on shell-fish and such
birds as they could shoot. And here they waited for
seven long months before another ship came to their
aid. Desperate, indeed, their road to fortune must
now have seemed.
But their faces were still set forward. No suffering
could wear out Pizarro's stern resolve. Taking the
little vessel sent them, they sailed on down the coast
and soon found themselves in new scenes and on the
borders of the Inca's empire. In time they came to
a large city of the coast, filled with busy people, and
presenting astonishing signs of wealth and civilization.
From Tumbez, as this place was called, they coasted
onward for several hundred miles, beholding every-
where indications of a rich and settled kingdom. Pi-
zarro had seen enough. To invade this great realm
men and arms were necessary. He returned to Pan-
ama, bringing vases of gold and silver and other evi-
dences of the wealth and arts of the land. And from
Panama he went to Spain, to show these rich objects
and obtain the favor of the king.
It was in the spring of 1532 that Pizarro reached
Tumbez again. He had with him now about two
hundred men and fifty horses. With the party were
his four brothers, whom he had brought from Spain.
Later on, Fernando de Soto joined him with one hun-
dred men and some more horses. At Tumbez they
remained, having various adventures, until September,
1532, when the fateful inward march began. Pizarro
took with him on this journey about two-thirds of his
men, leaving the others in a fort he had built on the
coast. It was an enterprise of remarkable daring, more
dangerous in its way than that of Cortes, for this was
not a country of many tribes among whom they could
8o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
look for allies. Here all the people were faithful sub-
jects of the Inca, and the newcomers would have to
depend on their own good swords.
Yet fortune aided the invaders. A civil war had
lately been raging in the land between Huascar, the
rightful Inca, and his half-brother, Atahualpa, who
had no just claim to the throne. But Atahualpa won,
capturing Huascar and entering the capital city of
Cuzco in triumph. This had hardly been done when
strange tidings were brought to the new monarch.
White and bearded strangers, clad in shining armor
and riding on monstrous animals, had come into Peru
from the sea, and were marching inward, bringing
with them great black tubes filled with thunder and
lightning. Wherever they went the people looked on
them with wonder and terror. The roar of the can-
non filled them with utter dismay. Mysterious beings
they were, with the power of the gods in their hands.
Their leader must be the son of Viracocha, the great
god of Peru, the deity who wielded the thunder of the
clouds.
When Atahualpa heard of these wonderful strangers
he thought it wise to win their good will, and sent
to them his brother, with presents and words of wel-
come. When Titu, the envoy, reached them they were
already at the foot of the great mountain-range of the
Andes, which they must cross to reach the main seat
of the Inca's power. Atahualpa was now at Caxa-
marca, on the opposite side of the mountains, and
thither Pizarro made his way, with toil and danger,
across the mighty hills, reaching that place on No-
vember 15, 1532.
Caxamarca was a small town of about two thou-
sand inhabitants. In its centre was a broad, open
square, and around this stood large stone buildings,
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IN AMERICA 8i
in which the Spaniards were given quarters by order
of the Inca. Atahualpa and his army lay encamped
about two miles away, the warriors wearing quilted
doublets of cotton, carrying shields of stiff hide, and
armed with bows, slings, lances, and war-clubs, with
lassoes, in whose use they were well skilled.
The Spaniards had much reason to feel anxious.
With the mountain-range behind them, the army of
Peru before them, they were in as dangerous a trap,
if the Inca should prove hostile, as Cortes had been
in the water-locked city of Mexico. They had put
their heads in the lion's jaws, and dare not withdraw.
The situation was critical. Only judgment, prompt
decision, and the boldest daring could save them if the
friendly spoken Inca should cherish hostile intentions.
Fear or distrust must not be shown. On the very
afternoon of their arrival a band of horsemen, led by
De Soto and Fernando Pizarro, a brother of their
leader, visited the Inca at his camp and invited him to
a conference with their commander the next day in the
market-place of Caxamarca. A circle of chiefs sur-
rounded Atahualpa, and they gazed with astounded
eyes as the skilled De Soto forced his trained horse
to wheel and prance about in swift evolutions, in which
the man seemed part of the steed.
Probably it was superstitious dread and bewildered
feeling that induced the Inca to promise a visit to these
wonderful strangers. Perhaps he hoped to enlist their
aid in his wars. Certainly he did not dream of any
peril in visiting their camp. But the Spaniards were
in a situation in which they felt that no half measures
would avail. They remembered the striking act of
Cortes in making Montezuma his prisoner, and Pi-
zarro felt that his only hope lay in following this
example. The Inca once in his hands, he might com-
6
^
82 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
mand the Peruvians as Cortes had commanded the
Mexicans.
But Pizarro had none of the craft and subtlety of
Cortes. What the latter did by the arts of diplomacy,
Pizarro planned to do by brutal force, and all that
night was spent in preparation for the treacherous
deed. When the Inca entered the town the next day,
in the midst of a strong escort of troops, the only man
ready to meet him was a cowled priest, who talked a
long time in a language the Inca could not understand,
and in the end handed him a Bible, which the monarch,
angry at the seeming discourtesy, flung disdainfully
to the ground.
A moment later the Spanish war-cry, " Santiago,"
was heard, and from every doorway armed men poured
out, falling in fury upon the escort of the Inca and
cutting the helpless and astounded men down by hun-
dreds. As for Atahualpa, he was seized and hurried
into the Spanish barracks, where he found himself a
prisoner in Pizarro's hands.
Daring and desperate as was the scheme, its suc-
cess was extraordinary. The army, reft of its leader,
was dismayed. The people, to whom their Inca was
far more than a mere man, were helpless. Not a hand
was raised against the terrible strangers, and for a
time the whole country lay like a fettered captive at
their feet. There was no hostility, no assault, as in
the case of Cortes. So paralyzed were the people that
Fernando Pizarro, with twenty horsemen and a few
musketeers, made a journey of four hundred miles
to the famous temple of Pachacamac, destroyed its
idol, and carried off its golden ornaments without a
hand being raised against them.
Pizarro treated his captive with politeness and kind-
ness, but took the best of care that he should not es-
IN AMERICA 83
cape. The Inca, surprised to see how eager the Span-
iards were for gold, fancied that he might buy his
freedom, and one day made an extraordinary offer.
He promised to fill the room in which he stood — a
room twenty-two feet long by seventeen wide — with
gold up to a line on the walls as high as he could reach,
if they would set him free.
This unparalleled offer astounded the Spaniards.
Such a ransom had never been dreamed of in all the
history of the world. The invaders heard the offer
with gasping astonishment, and Pizarro hastily ac-
cepted it. Only a man to whom gold was useless
dross could have done less.
Atahualpa at once sent messengers far and wide,
and soon the gold began to arrive. His word was to
the people a sacred command. Much of the gold was
in the form of vases and ornaments of which the
temples were stripped. Yet the distances were great,
and the sum of gold to be gathered was immense.
Some of the priests hid the gold of their temples and
would not send it. Months passed, and by June, 1533,
the vast bulk was not yet complete. But the covetous
Spaniards, eager to share the yellow spoil, would not
wait longer, and the great sum, said to have been
worth more than fifteen million dollars in our money,
and, in addition, a vast store of silver, was divided
between the conquerors. Every man got his share,
and Fernando Pizarro was sent to Spain with the
share of the king.
When he arrived there and told the story of the
marvellous ransom, and showed in evidence the treas-
ure he had brought, it was to the people of Spain as
if Aladdin's magical lamp had been rubbed and the
gnomes of the underworld had brought up their golden
spoil. Eagerness to share in this wonderful wealth ran
84 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
from end to end of the land, and the adventurous sons
of Spain began again to flock in multitudes to the
New World, Golden Peru being now their goal.
Francisco Pizarro was created a marquis and made
governor of the new realm, while his partner, Alma-
gro, was placed over the country to the south, the land
we now call Chile.
But before this was done important events had
taken place in Peru. Huascar, the imprisoned Inca,
hearing of Atahualpa's ransom, offered the Spaniards
a greater treasure still if they would set him free and
support him against his rival. Soon after this Huas-
car was secretly murdered in his cell. The Spaniards
blamed Atahualpa for this, and they professed to be-
lieve that he was also sending out secret instructions
to his chieftains, bidding them to rise against the
insolent strangers.
All this gave Pizarro the excuse he wanted to break
faith with the Inca. Though the ransom had been
paid, he dared not set his captive free, fearing that
he would rouse the country in arms against him. The
least excuse sufficed. The unfortunate Inca was put
on trial before a court of his foes, on the charges of
conspiring against the whites, murdering his brother,
and the practice of idolatry and polygamy. Pizarro
was determined on his death, and the unhappy pris-
oner was convicted and sentenced to the dreadful
fate of being burned at the stake. As he consented to
receive baptism his sentence was changed, and on
August 29, two months after paying his enormous
ransom, the Inca, Atahualpa, was put to death by
strangling in the public square of Caxamarca.
With this act of shameless treachery we might con-
clude the story of the conquest of Peru, but there are
events of importance still to narrate. The death of
IN AMERICA 85
Atahualpa was followed by a show of hostilities among
the Peruvians, but when Pizarro proclaimed Manco,
the next in line of succession after Huascar, as Inca,
and Manco came into the Spanish camp and made for-
mal submission to the strangers, Pizarro's triumph
seemed complete. He was lord of the land which lay
prostrate before his feet. Spaniards were hurrying to
the country, and his force constantly increased. In
1535' that he might have a seat of government near
the coast, he founded the city of Lima, which he made
his capital, leaving his brother Fernando in command
at Cuzco.
He did not know the new Inca. A true patriot,
Manco's submission was made merely to gain time.
Under cover of it he planned an insurrection, and
when the proper moment arrived he escaped from
Cuzco and joined the patriot chiefs. Suddenly re-
bellion broke out on all sides. Cuzco was surrounded
by a vast host of dusky warriors, communication with
Lima was cut off, and for six months the old Inca
capital was fiercely besieged. Manco seized a great
fortress overlooking the city, on which vigorous as-
saults were made, the little band of Spaniards within
the walls having to defend themselves against terrible
odds. But they held their own with desperate valor,
and finally succeeded in taking the fortress of the Inca
by storm.
Fear of famine at length broke up the Inca's army.
It was the planting season, and many of his men had
to go home and attend to their farms, lest starvation
should come upon the land. Manco retired with the
remainder of his army to the valley of Yucay, and here
he met Almagro, who was returning from his invasion
of Chile. A battle followed in which the Peruvians
were badly beaten, and from that time forward the
86 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Spaniards had little trouble with the people of the
land.
But they had fighting enough among themselves.
Almagro, who felt that he had been badly treated,
was incensed against Pizarro, and war broke out be-
tween the two Spanish leaders. It ended, after sev-
eral battles, in the defeat and execution of Almagro
by Fernando Pizarro.
This was in 1538. Almagro was gone, but many
of the " men of Chile," as his followers were called, re-
mained. Pizarro might have won these over by a
show of generosity, but he made bitter foes of them
by treating them with harsh severity. As a result a
conspiracy was formed against his life, and on Sun-
day, June 26, 1 541, a band of the conspirators broke
into the governor's palace and killed him after he had
slain several of them in his desperate struggle for
life. Thus perished the conqueror of Peru after one of
the most remarkable and successful careers that human
being has ever had.
IN AMERICA 87
CABEZA DE VACA AND HIS CAREER
OF ADVENTURE
It may seem strange to many readers that the ad-
venturous people of Spain, who sent so many expedi-
ditions across the sea while the other nations rarely
sent out a ship, made no settlement for many years
within the limits of the United States. The islands
first reached by Columbus were not far distant from
the coast of this country, the West India Islands which
they thickly settled lay not far to the south, yet it
was not till 1565 that their first settlement in this coun-
try, that of St. Augustine in Florida, was made.
If we seek for a cause of this we may find it in the
persistent hostility of the Indians. Here were no mild
and submissive natives like those of the southern isles,
and here were no empires rich in gold to give birth
to the enterprise of a Cortes or a Pizarro. There
were only poor and scattered tribes, inveterately war-
like and hostile, and with no treasures worth the win-
ning.
This is what Ponce de Leon found, and it was the
experience of those who followed him. Various ships
touched on the Floridian shores, but no colony was
there founded. Chief among the explorers of the
northern coast were Francisco de Garay, who in 15 19
sailed along and mapped the Gulf coast from Florida
westward, — the mouth of the Mississippi River being
marked on his map, — and Vasquez de Ayllon, who in
1520 sailed up the Atlantic coast and tried to make a
settlement which is thought to have been on the James
88 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
River in Virginia, near the later site of Jamestown.
We may name also Stephen Gomez, the pilot of the
ship that deserted Magellan in the strait that bears his
name, and who in 1525 sailed along the North Ameri-
can coast, putting into the bays of New England and
the Hudson. But there were two whose explorations
were of far more importance, De Narvaez and De
Soto, the adventures of each of whom are worthy of a
detailed account.
Pamphilo de Narvaez was a man whom we can
credit with neither virtue nor ability, yet he obtained
from Charles V. of Spain the privilege of subduing
and settling — if he could — the country of Florida from
the Atlantic back to the Palmas River. It was Nar-
vaez who was sent by the governor of Cuba to take
Cortes prisoner, and who managed so badly that
Cortes took him prisoner instead. He lost one eye in
this affair, but the other eye led him into a more dan-
gerous adventure still.
Narvaez was rich, but like many of his kind he
craved gold still, and was willing to squander what he
had in pursuit of more. He found many others as cov-
etous and as adventurous as himself, and in June, 1527,
set sail from Spain with an expedition in which were
men of good estate, some of them noblemen's sons.
During that year he spent his time in the West Indies,
sailing along the south coast of Cuba, touching at
port after port. But in the spring of 1528, while head-
ing for Havana, he was blown out of his course and
up the west coast of Florida, where he put into Tampa
Bay on April 14. With him, as treasurer of the ex-
pedition, came Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, the man
whose name heads this story, since in it he is a far
more important character than Narvaez, its incompe-
tent leader.
IN AMERICA 89
The governor of Florida, as the king had named
Narvaez, landed two days after reaching Tampa Bay
and took possession of the province in the name of
Spain. This was an easy thing to do, needing only a
little empty ceremony, but to take possession of it in
reality was a different matter, as Ponce de Leon had
found and as Pamphilo de Narvaez was soon to find.
He had two enemies to deal with, wild nature and the
equally wild natives. Many of these watched the un-
welcome Spaniards as they hoisted their flag, hoping
to see them take to their ships and depart. But
some of the Indians had shown the visitors sam-
ples of gold, with gestures which seemed to mean that
this yellow metal came from the north. The sight of
gold acted like a magnet on the Spaniards ; there was
no getting rid of them when they had once caught its
yellow gleam.
Narvaez prepared to leave his ships and strike into
the country, giving orders to have them taken to a
harbor which the pilot pretended to be familiar with.
Against this action Cabeza de Vaca made an earnest
protest, distrusting either the pilot or the leader ; but
all he could say had no effect, and on the ist of May
the explorers, three hundred in number, forty of them
mounted, left the coast and struck into the utterly un-
known land. What became of the ships we are not
told.
The wanderers, as they advanced into that low-lying
and swamp-covered country, a soil of sand and lime,
a land without hills, yet with ever-flowing streams and
deep morasses, were attracted by frequent scenes of
rural beauty. Here were groves of the graceful pal-
metto, the lofty pine, cypress, and sweet gum. Of
choice beauty were the broad-leaved, shining magno-
lias. Many trees met their eyes of surprising height ;
90 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
others, the moss-fringed Hve oaks, were of such
mighty girth as seemingly to defy the axe.
Birds of splendid plumage, and others humbler in
attire but of delightful song, haunted these groves, and
under the fragrant shade were seen many animals, all
of them new and strange to the eyes of the adven-
turers. Among the larger were the bear, deer of
varied kinds, and the panther, which they thought
to be the lion. But it was wild nature all, diver-
sified by no towns rich and populous, yielding no
trace of the yellow evil that lured them on.
Rivers crossed their path, which they were fain to
cross on rafts, or by swimming. Food grew so scarce
that a field of green maize which they met seemed a
gift from God to save them from death by hunger.
The middle of June had passed when they came to the
broad and deep Suwanee River, a swift stream, which
obliged them to halt and build a large canoe to carry
them across. At length their weary footsteps led them
to the Indian settlement of Appalachee, which in the
native stories had grown into a large and populous
town, and where they hoped to find food and gold.
To their bitter disappointment they saw before them
a village of some forty wretched huts.
The adventurers were fast falling into a deplora-
ble condition. Nowhere had they found a trace of the
rich country which they sought. Food grew scarce
and at times failed them utterly. The natives were
everywhere hostile and, skilled in archery and the arts
of ambush, greatly harassed the invading foe. Re-
maining for nearly a month at Appalachee, they
searched for gold and silver through the country
round, but found little beyond active enemies, while
food grew daily more difficult to obtain.
At length, worn out by the incessant and fierce at-
IN AMERICA 91
tacks of the warlike tribes and weakened by famine,
they started despairingly in search of the sea, wander-
ing through the forest and wading streams and deep
lagoons until they reached the Gulf shore at a harbor
which they called the Baia de Caballos. It is now
known as St. Mark's.
Here it was that they hoped to find the ships, but
no trace of them could be seen. As De Vaca feared,
their pilot had failed them. There was but one way by
which they could escape from that inhospitable coast,
they must build boats and take to the sea. For food
they had the remainder of their horses and a large
quantity of maize of which they had robbed the
Indian granaries; and, sustaining themselves on this,
they worked eagerly at their impromptu trade of boat-
building. Their stirrups, spurs, the iron of their cross-
bows, were forged into axes, saws, and nails, palmetto
films served for oakum, the neighboring pines fur-
nished pitch, and the work went on with fair speed.
In sixteen days five large boats, each over thirty
feet in length, were finished and launched. Horse-
hair ropes were twisted for rigging, their shirts were
pieced together to serve as sails, oars were cut from
felled saplings, and for water bottles they used the
skins stripped unbroken from the lower legs of their
horses. Then, on September 22, the survivors of the
expedition, some two hundred and fifty in all, em-
barked and set sail. The effort to take possession of
Florida was at an end.
We have hitherto said little about Cabeza de Vaca,
who will be the hero of the remainder of this tale,
and who, with a few companions, went through a
series of surprising adventures before reaching the
domains of civilization again. His career of adven-
ture began when he was made captain of one of the
92 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
boats, a task for which he was ill fitted, since in the
whole party there was not a man who knew the art
of navigation.
Even had they been skilled mariners their task
would have been difficult, for the boats were so over-
crowded as to be in imminent danger, sinking so low
that the water almost flowed over their sides. Thus
sunken, they were entirely unfit for stormy weather.
Along the shallow waters of the shore they crept for
a week or more, when the crowding was somewhat re-
lieved by some Indian canoes, which Cabeza found and
added to their flotilla.
Onward they went, for a full month longer, suffer-
ing much from want of food and water and the perils
of the way. They rarely dared venture on shore,
where the hostile savages stood on guard ; nor was it
safe to lose sight of the land, without pilot or mariner
on board. In the early evening of the 30th of Octo-
ber Cabeza, who led the van, found that he was in a
broad current of fresh water, which came sweeping
strongly out from the land, teaching him that they
were in the mouth of a " very great river." It was
the Mississippi, whose waters De Garay had seen nine
years before and had named the river of the Holy
Spirit.
The adventurers made an earnest effort to enter
this great stream, in search of fuel to parch their
com, but the wind came from the north and the cur-
rent was strong, and in the attempt the boats became
separated and scattered along the coast. Narvaez kept
close to the land, but Cabeza put boldly out to sea,
leaving him behind and following another boat com-
manded by Alonso de Castillo. The winds now helped
them, and for four days they went rapidly westward
by aid of oars and sails. Then a storm from the east
IN AMERICA 93
struck the frail boat and drove it relentlessly forward
for a day and a night, and early on the following
morning swept it through the boiling surf and on the
sands of an island which Cabeza named the Isle of
Misfortune. From his account of this it seems to have
been the island of Galveston, on which the busy sea-
port of Texas now stands.
There were Indians on the shore who howled on
seeing the shipwreck, and howled louder still on seeing
the boat, which the men pulled off the sands, upset in
the surf. All was lost, even their clothing, which they
had removed in their effort to save their boat. But
fortunately for them the Indians proved friendly, their
howls being cries of sympathy instead of hostility.
They built fires to warm the shivering men, gave them
food and shelter, and did all they could to soften their
misfortune.
The boat of Castillo was wrecked a little farther
up the coast, and he and his men also escaped with
their lives. As for the remaining boats, their fate is
unknown. Reports about them reached Cabeza at a
later date to the effect that one of them foundered
at sea, two ran ashore, the men who landed dying from
hunger, while the boat of Narvaez was driven to sea
again, and doubtless went down in the raging waves.
Destiny had proved too strong for the covetous Span-
ish adventurer.
Cold and want and mutual suffering gradually had
their effect on the men of Cabeza and Castillo. One
by one they died until only four of the whole ex-
pedition remained alive, these being Cabeza, Castillo,
Dorantes, a companion of the latter, and a negro
named Estevanico, or Stephen, who was to play an in-
teresting part in Mexico at a later date. And these
survivors were in a deplorable state, cast half-naked
94 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
on a strange shore, all their possessions gone, them-
selves in the hands of savages of uncertain mood.
Though friendly now, at any moment they might be-
come their enemies.
The story of these four men is a remarkable one.
For nearly six years they remained captives in the In-
dians' hands, and afterwards they wandered through
the land from tribe to tribe. But through it all they
bore up bravely against their misfortunes, and finally
reached safety after crossing the continent on foot
from sea to sea, the first men who accomplished this
stupendous feat.
The leading spirit among them was the heroic Ca-
beza de Vaca, a man who held his own against all
the ill strokes of fate or fortune, was ready to meet
every perilous contingency, studied the habits and
languages of the Indians, imitated them in their modes
of life, and won fame among them as a medicine man
of magical powers. We owe to his pen an accurate
and complete account of the country he traversed and
the tale of his adventures, one embellished with more
amazing incidents than any other story of the pioneer
sons of Spain. Earliest of the pathfinders of America,
inspiring his often despairing companions with his
own unflinching fortitude, this hero of the wilds led
the way to safety through perils that would have dis-
mayed any less resolute man.
Their progress from tribe to tribe was full of
thrilling adventures. During the time they were held
as slaves their captors kept them in the most abject
bondage, on many days putting arrows to their breasts
in the evening as a threat that they would kill them in
the morning. After their escape from these they met
with tribes that looked upon their white visitors as
messengers from heaven, or sorcerers possessed of
IN AMERICA 95
magical powers. Some brought out their food that
these inspired visitants might breathe upon it before
they ate it, others laid before them their choicest pos-
sessions and begged them to accept the best of these,
while in some cases thousands of them accompanied
the wandering whites as guests of honor.
Cabeza and his comrades did much to gain this
credit of divine powers with the savages by acting as
doctors or medicine men, working wonderful cures by
repeating the pater-noster or making the sign of the
cross. They made their way onward also by peddling
little articles from tribe to tribe, and thus gaining shel-
ter and support. Separated and held prisoners by dif-
ferent tribes, they came together again at some point
west of the Sabine River, and from this place grad-
ually made their way towards the Spanish settlement
on the Pacific.
Cabeza's narrative enables us to trace the path fol-
lowed by the wanderers. After their escape from the
savages of the coast, they headed inland, having learned
that they would find there less cruel and more numerous
peoples, and with the hope of being able some day to
describe the land and its inhabitants for the world's
benefit. Here for many months their roving feet led
them from tribe to tribe through the interior of Texas,
they going as far north as the Canadian River, then
following Indian trails over the westward water-shed,
and descending to the banks of the Rio Grande. As
they wandered on they imitated the Indians by wear-
ing deer-skins, and afterwards buflfalo-robes, as win-
ter clothing.
From the Rio Grande the castaways went slowly
westward through New Mexico, from Indian town to
town, their cheerful spirit enabling them to bear up
against hunger, cold, and weariness, their courage and
96 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
readiness in resources guarding them against danger
from wild beasts and hostile savages, until finally the
continent was crossed and they reached the Pacific
coast, treading the soil of civilization again in May,
1536, at the village of San Miguel in Sonora, after a
wonderful journey of nearly two thousand miles in
length.
Nine years had passed since they sailed with Nar-
vaez from the Guadalquivir in Spain, and nearly eight
years since they set sail in their frail boats from the
harbor of St. Mark's. For six of these, as has been said,
they were held in cruel captivity by the Indians of
Texas. Then, escaping from their captors, they spent
more than twenty months in their long journey to the
far West, emerging at last like men risen from the dead
on the western coast of Mexico, the first of men to
cross the continent of North America in its full width.
The enthusiasm of their reception helped to repay
them for their sufferings, a guard of honor of sol-
diers escorting them to Compostella, while through-
out their journey to the city of Mexico they were
entertained as public guests. Here we must take leave
of the brave Cabeza de Vaca and his companions, with
the statement that the story they told had its share in
leading to another famous expedition, to be described
in a later tale.
IN AMERICA 97
FRANCISCO DE ORELLANA: THE EX-
PLORATION OF THE AMAZON
Never had there been revealed to human eyes a more
alluring prospect than that which opened out before
the Spaniards in the New World. They stood on the
shores of a virgin continent, of whose marvels no
white man had ever gained a glimpse. What wonders
it contained, what riches might lie hidden in its vast
depths, what scenes of enchantment and realms of
magic it concealed, no one could guess. Ponce de
Leon's search for the Fountain of Youth was but one
of the waking dreams which filled men's minds in that
age of credulity and superstition. Likely enough there
were other wild fancies of which history has kept no
record.
Men of enterprise and imagination must have been
especially stirred to action after the conquest of Mex-
ico and Peru and the undreamed-of ransom paid by
Pizarro's royal captive. Here was gold surpassing the
wildest hopes of the adventurers. No flitting phantom
this, for here was the gleaming metal in vast pro-
fusion. And the wealth the Spaniards wrung from
the captive Inca was fondly believed to be only a tithe
of that concealed in the realms of Montezuma and
the Incas, while who could say but that other golden
empires lay in the depths of that wide continent? The
prizes found lured them on to the hope of richer prizes
still to be discovered.
Tales came from the natives to the ears of the Span-
iards of distant lands immensely rich in gold, silver,
and precious stones. There slowly grew up the belief
7
98 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
in a marvellous El Dorado, a region of fabulous
wealth, whose capital was a mighty city of which the
very watering troughs in the streets were of solid
gold and silver, while billets of gold lay stored in
heaps, like logs of wood piled up to burn. The proud
monarch of this glittering realm had the luxurious
habit of covering his body with turpentine and rolling
in gold dust until he shone like a golden statue, while
priceless gems gleamed and sparkled on his breast
and limbs.
It is not surprising that many eager explorers set
out in search of this city of dreamland, which the
wild fancies of the Indians had painted in such glow-
ing colors. But most of these adventurers found suf-
fering and death instead of the wealth they craved.
Latest of them all was the English knight. Sir Wal-
ter Raleigh, who set sail for El Dorado with his mind
filled with glowing pictures and went far up the broad
Orinoco in his fruitless and hapless quest. His fate
was like that of Ponce de Leon, who was slain in his
search for eternal youth. Raleigh's quest led to his
execution at the demand of the King of Spain, whose
realm he had invaded.
Yet while this land of gold — which fled like a Will
o' the Wisp before those who sought it — was never
found, the search for it led to important results in
geographical discovery, the most famous instance of
which was the exploration of the mighty Amazon
River by Francisco de Orellana. The story of this
daring voyage and the remarkable expedition which
led to it, is one of the kind that does not grow stale
in the telling.
It is indeed this daring excursion into the unknown
with which we are here mainly concerned, Orellana's
journey down the earth's grandest stream being merely
IN AMERICA 99
the sequel to an extraordinary event. In the year 1540
the expedition set out from Quito, led by Gonzalo
Pizarro, one of the able brothers of the conqueror of
Peru. It was a large and well-equipped force that
followed this capable leader, consisting of three hun-
dred and fifty Spaniards, nearly half of them mounted,
and four thousand Indians, their food-supply in-
cluding five thousand hogs, which they drove before
them as they advanced.
In warm hope and buoyant expectation the adven-
turers set out, each of them, it may be, dreaming of
building a noble castle in Spain from his share of the
wealth to be found. Two years later a meagre and
starving remnant returned in rags and misery, so worn
and broken by famine and suffering that few of them
ever regained their lost health and strength.
We shall not tell in detail the story of this ex-
pedition, for it is a part of it only with which we are
closely concerned. It may be said that gold was not
the leading object of their search. It has already been
said that the spices of the East were among the choice
prizes sought by Columbus and the mariners of Por-
tugal. Spices it was that Pizarro sought. The In-
dians had told of a land beyond the mighty hills where
the cinnamon-tree grew abundantly, and it was in quest
of this fabled forest of spices that the adventurers
faced the horrors of the ice-clad hills, the terror of
whose crests and ravines they little knew.
As they marched onward the rainy season of the
tropics opened its floodgates upon them. Torrents de-
scended on their shivering bodies as they toiled over
the steep and rugged Andes, shivering in the cold
winds as they trudged through the loftier passes,
scorching in the steaming tropical heats as they de-
scended to the lower levels beyond.
lOo HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Death came to many in that world of rocks and
cHlTs, especially to the poorly clad natives. At one
point an earthquake shook the hills, the earth rending
asunder and sulphurous fumes pouring forth. Months
of this dismal passage went by before they left the
mountains behind them and reached the region of the
hoped-for cinnamon forests only to find that no such
forests existed, or if any tree was found that shed the
precious bark it was useless to them, as they had no
means of transporting it back. But there was a new
beacon light ahead, for the wandering natives they
met told them of a land only ten days' journey away
where gold in profusion was to be had.
What mattered the lack of spices when gold beck-
oned them onward? Before the allurement of that
magical word all thought of. suffering vanished and
they toiled on, now over grassy plains, now through
dense forests of enormous trees, where vines and
creepers spread irlm tree to tree and the axe had to
be used at every step.
Their clothing, rotted by the rains and torn by briars,
hung about them in rags ; their drove of swine had
been partly eaten, while the remainder had escaped
into the hills ; their rain-soaked food was spoiled ; the
bloodhounds they had brought with them they were
now forced to kill and eat, and when these lean and
starved dogs were devoured no food remained but
such as the forest afforded.
A miserable crew it was that at length came to the
banks of a noble river, whose waters, emerging from
the eastern Andes, poured swiftly through the dense
tropical forest. It was the stream now known as
the Napo, one of the larger feeders of the mighty
Amazon. Gladdened by the sight, for many miles
they followed its banks, at one place passing a grand
IN AMERICA loi
cataract, where the whole body of water plunged
downward to an enormous depth. Still the alluring
land of gold lay ahead, so the natives told them, and
for many days they followed the river, hope gradually
dying in their hearts. Everywhere in the New World
the natives had told them that tale of gold to be found
afar, probably to rid themselves of unvv^elcome guests.
Pizarro at length bade his men to halt. They were
worn out with their toilsome progress and he resolved
to build a vessel large enough to carry the baggage and
the men who were unfit to walk.
Two months were spent in this labor, trees being
felled and shaped by the axe, nails saved from the
shoes of dead or slaughtered horses used in the tim-
bers, the needed pitch got from gum-yielding trees,
and oakum obtained from the rags of clothing which
the men replaced by the skins of wild beasts. At
length the first vessel that ever floated on these far in-
land waters was finished and launched. It v/as large
enough to carry half the Spaniards that remained
alive, and the command was given by Pizarro to Fran-
cisco de Orellana, a cavalier who had always shown
himself brave and trusty.
The lately despairing Spaniards now went on with
new hope and courage, the brigantine keeping pace
with the men that marched by the river side, and tak-
ing on board all who broke down under the toil of
the journey. Onward till the last of their horses had
been killed and eaten and the very leather of their
saddles and belts was devoured. Pizarro now decided
to stop for rest, proposing to feed his men on such
scant spoil as the forest offered, and send Orellana on-
ward in the vessel to the fruitful country of which the
Indians still told them. Taking fifty of the men on
board, and promising to return with food when he
I02 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
reached the land of which the natives so cheeringly
spoke, Orellana gave the vessel freely to the swift cur-
rent of the Napo, and it quickly vanished from the
vision of those left behind. They were never to set
eyes on it again.
Let us follow the voyage of the brigantine, the first
craft larger than an Indian canoe till then seen on the
waters of interior Brazil. A remarkable journey lay
before it, more wonderful far than that of the famous
Argonauts of Greece. There were thousands of miles
of waters which no keel had ever ruffled, bordered by
forests which the axe of the white man had never
touched, and peopled by many tribes of wild savages
to whom the coming of the Spaniards to their conti-
nent was still a thing unknown. Great and thrilling
was the journey which lay before the new Argonauts.
On leaving the forest camp the brigantine, no longer
forced to keep pace with the slow moving men on
shore, passed rapidly down the swift stream, and in
three days shot out from the Napo into the great
parent river, the Amazon. It was a journey which
it afterwards took Pizarro and his men two months
to perform.
This point reached, Orellana eagerly looked about
him for the cultivated land, rich in gold, of which the
Indians had so confidently spoken. Instead he saw
only a continuation of the tropical forest through which
they had so long struggled, almost destitute of inhabi-
tants, and scarcely furnishing food enough for himself
and his few men.
The navigators were in a dilemma. It was impos-
sible to return against the Napo's swift current. To
go back by land was a task all shrank from under-
taking, especially as they had no food or hopeful news
to take with them. What were they to do? Should
IN AMERICA 103
they wait until the men they had left came on to meet
them? In this difficult position Orellana forgot his
honor and duty. He was on the waters of a grand
river, which somewhere must flow into the ocean. On
its banks, as he had been told, were populous nations,
rich in wealth. There was glory almost rivalling that
of Columbus awaiting the man who should first trav-
erse this mighty stream and carry back to Spain the
story of its discovery. And who knew but that the
land of gold, an El Dorado far richer than that of
Peru, lay somewhere on its banks?
When Orellana spoke of this scheme to his compan-
ions, he found them ready and eager to join in the
daring enterprise. They had had enough and more
than enough of the forest. In the brilliant prospect
that opened before them they thought little of the
friends they were deserting in the woodland wilds.
One only among them, Sanchez de Vargas by name,
opposed the project, which he spoke of as an inhuman
and dishonorable desertion of their friends. But the
yellow glitter of gold and the white light of glory
shone too strongly now in Orellana's eyes for any ar-
gument to stop his treacherous purpose, and the dis-
pute ended by his leaving De Vargas behind in the
wilderness and trusting the brigantine, with the rest
of his men on board, to the unknown waters lying
before them. Or, it may be, as some tell us, he halted
to build a new and stronger vessel.
The current still ran swiftly onward and the forest-
built craft, rude but strong, shot rapidly along, the for-
est still closely clasping the wanderers in, but the miles
slipping behind them at a rate that filled their souls
with joyful hope. They little dreamed of the vast
distance they had to go, the three thousand or more
miles that lay between them and the sea, and in the
I04 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
joy of swift flight down those noble waters, and in the
strangeness of the scenes they met, forgot the friends
they had left to their fate and heeded not the perils
that might lurk in their path.
The Amazon, broad and noble as it is, is not devoid
of dangers. Here there are long reaches of shallows ;
here rocks imperil the stream. Many times they were
in frightful danger when shooting down the troubled
waters of rapids ; at other times protruding rocks
threatened them with destruction. Yet fortune, which
may favor the reckless as well as the brave, stood the
friend of these daring voyagers, and they passed all the
perils of the great stream unharmed. Condamine, who
descended the Amazon two centuries later, tells us that
the navigation is too difficult and dangerous to be ven-
tured upon without the aid of a skilful pilot, yet these
untrained adventurers, the first to launch a craft on its
waters, went down its whole vast length unharmed.
At times they passed the mouths of other great
streams, which, like the Napo, poured their waters into
the mighty central flood. Forests of dense growth,
and filled with trees of endless variety, bordered the
river through much of its course, though at intervals
broad savannas, or wide regions of swampy overflow,
spread from its banks. The adventurers rarely dared
set foot on land, for the Indians along the stream,
numerous and warlike, were hostile throughout, and
safety was to be found only on board their vessel. Nor
was it assured there, for the hostile tribesmen at times
pursued them for miles in their canoes.
This hostility rendered it difficult for the mariners
to obtain food, but fortunately they found that the
riyer swarmed with fish in great variety. Turtles were
also numerous, and though their diet was limited in
kind they were not likely to suffer from hunger. Aside
IN AMERICA 105
from the perils of the navigation, their chief danger
came from the hostihty of the natives to whom this
strange thing afloat on their river and filled v^fith white-
skinned men was apparently a demon to be feared and
assailed. Many of the adventurers were slain in their
fierce encounters with the naked forest warriors, and
more than once their toils and perils led to mutinous
outbreaks. But these Orellana easily quelled, and
finally the extraordinary voyage reached its end, and
the brigantine, built in the forests of the far interior,
rode at length safely on the Atlantic's swelling waves.
Here, for the first time, did Orellana learn what
stream it was that he had traversed for months. It
proved to be that mighty current which Pinzon had
discovered many years before, and whose broad and
deep flood freshens the ocean waters for one hun-
dred miles from the shore.
The rude, forest-built brigantine, meant for river
navigation only, dared the waves of the sea until the
island of Cubagna was reached, and from here Orel-
lana and his followers m.ade their way to Spain, where
the story of their wonderful adventure and discovery
brought them the fame of which their leader so long
had dreamed. The tale of actual wonders he had to
tell was ornamented by Orellana with marvels still
more agreeable to his open-eared hearers, and for
which he could offer only the doubtful authority of
the garrulous natives of Brazil.
He told of a glittering El Dorado, a land so rich in
the precious metals that gold was used to roof the
temples and was as little considered as lead in Spain.
He had another story of a race of female warriors
who dominated the countries round them by their
prowess in war. To these was given the name of
Amazons from the similar fabled race of classical
io6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
times, and this name has ever since been applied to
the great South American stream.
Though he had not seen these marvels himself, Orel-
lana had no trouble in finding believers for any tale,
however wonderful, he chose to tell, and little time
elapsed before he set out at the head of five hundred
men in search of that El Dorado, the ardent quest of
which continued for half a century after his death.
The expedition proved a failure, Orellana dying on
the voyage, while Spain got no profit from his dis-
covery, since the river he had traversed fell within the
Portuguese territory of Brazil.
Let us return now to Gonzalo Pizarro and his men,
who had been heartlessly deserted in the far inland
forest depths. After waiting long in vain for the re-
turn of their comrades, they broke camp and went on
down the stream, two months passing before they
reached the Amazon, five or six hundred miles away.
Here they were met by the half-starved Sanchez de
Vargas, and learned with horror and indignation of
the base desertion of Orellana and his men.
There was but one thing to do, they must return to
Quito, which they had left more than a year before.
It was a thousand miles or more away, but Pizarro
cheered them up by promising to take them back by
another route which might bring them to the fruit-
ful land of which they had heard so much. Glory
would await them when they reached their native land.
Cheered by this hopeful tone, in one who had freely
shared all their perils and privations and had been a
good comrade throughout, the wanderers set out with
new trust in their leader, and began their toilsome
journey home.
The new route proved an easier one than that taken
before, but starting without food, and depending only
IN AMERICA 107
on such as they could find on their way, their suffer-
ings were greater still than of old. Many of them
had ended their journey in death before, in the month
of June, 1542, the remainder set foot in Quito again, a
miserable, woe-begone, ragged fragment of the gay
troop of cavaliers who had set out so bravely from that
upland town in the spring days of 1540. Of the Indians
more than half had died, while only eighty of the
Spaniards came back, worn and broken wretches, most
of them, who would never know a well day again. As
for the cinnamon and gold they sought, these treasures
lay then and lie still in the unfathomed realm of
romance.
io8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
HERNANDO DE SOTO AND THE DIS-
COVERY OF THE MISSISSIPPI
In the story of the conquest of Peru mention was
made of Hernando de Soto, who, on the first visit of
the Spanish cavaHers to the Inca, surprised and
startled Atahualpa and his chiefs by his masterly con-
trol of his horse. Later he became the chief friend
of the unfortunate Inca, and when Pizarro planned to
put his prisoner to death he first sent De Soto away
on a mission to a distant city. When the cavalier re-
turned and learned of the treacherous and inhuman
deed, his words were sharp enough to pierce the con-
science of Pizarro like swords — if that Spanish mur-
derer had possessed a conscience. At a later date this
man, Hernando de Soto, followed the futile effort of
Narvaez by a great exploration of United States ter-
ritory, the story of which we have now to tell.
Born in Spain in 1496, four years after the first voy-
age of Columbus, De Soto was still young when he
went wdth Pizarro to Peru, and when he returned to
Spain, rich with his share of the Inca's roomful of
gold. He was welcomed to his native land like a re-
turning conqueror. Feted and admired as one of the
great men of Spain, marrying the daughter of a power-
ful nobleman, and enjoying the high favor of the king,
he seemed to have reached the highest level of ambi-
tion. But his success only prompted him to new
efforts. The fame won by Cortes and Pizarro lured
him to rivalry, and he dreamed of possible empires
richer in gold than Peru. Who knew what lay in that
vast countrv north of Mexico and west of Florida?
IN AMERICA 109
It might teem with unimagined wealth, and the covet-
ous cavalier looked hopefully thither for gold and
fame.
Asking the king for authority to conquer Florida
at his own expense, and requesting to be made gover-
nor of Cuba as an aid to the enterprise, Charles V.
readily consented, and when the news spread through
Spain that the renowned lieutenant of Pizarro was
about to sail in search of an El Dorado to the north,
the highest excitement prevailed. De Soto could have
had thousands of gallant followers. Many men of
noble birth offered themselves as volunteers at their
own expense. There were Portuguese as well as
Spaniards among them, the former in gleaming armor,
the latter " very gallant with silk upon silk." Out of
them all De Soto selected six hundred or more, the
flower of the flock. The remainder he was obliged
to reject.
The expedition left Spain as if on a festival cruise,
and was greeted in Cuba with feasts and merry-
makings. Vessels were sent to Florida to seek a suit-
able harbor, and brought back two Indians who were
adepts at lying. They talked in signs only, but suc-
ceeded in convincing the adventurers that they were
going to " the richest country that had yet been dis-
covered." Only ill news had come from the Narvaez
expedition, but the fate of that hapless venture did
not deter De Soto's hope-inspired followers.
Leaving his young wife to govern Cuba in his ab-
sence, De Soto set sail on the i8th of May, 1539, and
on the 30th sailed into Tampa Bay, the starting-point
of Narvaez on his ill-starred expedition. Here the
gallant six hundred landed, and with them the two or
three hundred horses they had brought. Efforts had
been made to provide for every contingency. Cannon,
no HEROES OF DISCOVERY
fire-arms, steel armor were broug-ht, and even fetters
for the limbs of Indian captives. As useful allies they
broug-ht with them a large number of fierce blood-
hounds and a great drove of hogs to supply them with
fresh meat. ,
De Soto, like Cortes, had no thought of returning.
He did not sink his ships, like the invader of Mexico,
but he sent them back to Cuba, thus cutting off the
chance of a hasty retreat. There was every reason to
hope for success, for the party was more numerous
and better equipped than the famous expeditions which
had invaded Mexico and Peru. De Soto's old experi-
ence told him what would be needed and he had made
careful preparation. His expedition was especially
rich in horses, and it was a gallant cavalcade that set
out from Tampa Bay one fine morning in early June in
ardent expectation of winning fortune and fame.
The simple-minded natives gazed with amazement
and admiration on the shining array, with its glitter
of helmet and lance, and the gay flutter of its silken
pennons, and heard with wonder the clangor of trum-
pets and neighing of horses, — sounds and sights these
new and strange to that ancient forest, for no such
splendid display had been made by Narvaez and his
men in their less pretentious expedition.
In the track of Narvaez they went, meeting the
same difficulties which he had encountered, finding the
Indians everywhere hostile, the route wearisome and
perilous, while there was nowhere a trace of the gold
they sought or the civilized natives whose presence
had given hope to the invaders of more southern
realms. From June to October they pressed wearily
forward, reaching at length the vicinity of Appalachee,
where the march of Narvaez had terminated.
On one of their days of march it was with utter sur-
IN AMERICA III
prise that they saw, amid a throng of dusky savages, a
white man on horseback, who rode towards them with
wild gestures of deHght, and greeted them joyfully in
their own tongue. He proved to be a Spaniard named
Juan Ortiz, one of the followers of Narvaez, who had
been taken prisoner by the Indians and had lived with
them ever since.
He told a story of thrilling experience. His captors
had at first designed to burn him alive by a slow fire,
as a sacrifice to the Evil Spirit, and he was laid, bound
hand and foot, on a wooden stage, beneath which a
fire was kindled. At this moment of frightful peril
the daughter of the chief begged so earnestly for his
life that he was released to become a slave to his foes.
Three years later he was again condemned to the
flames, but was saved once more by the chief's daugh-
ter, who warned him of his peril and led him to the
camp of another chief. Here he remained till De
Soto and his party came.
During his captivity Ortiz had gained a knowledge
of the language and customs of the Indians and was
afterwards found invaluable as a guide and interpre-
ter. But he knew of no land of gold or silver and of
no civilized empire, and his story added to the dis-
couragement which most of the adventurers now felt.
They begged De Soto to return, saying that their
quest was hopeless and only suffering and death lay
before them, but he was immovable. " I will not turn
back," he said, " till I have seen the poverty of the
country with my own eyes."
Guided by Ortiz, the exploring army wandered
through the wilds of Florida till the next spring. Then
a native guide was found who said he would take
them to a distant country over which ruled a queen,
and where there was abundance of a yellow metal.
112 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
With new hope the Spaniards eagerly followed him,
not dreaming- that the metal they took to be gold would
prove to be only copper and the queen the ruler of
an ordinary tribe.
The realm of the Indian queen was reached, and its
sovereign found to be friendly. The dusky princess
came in woodland state to meet her visitor, carried in
a litter by four of her subjects. On alighting she ad-
vanced to De Soto with gestures of welcome, and tak-
ing from her neck a heavy double string of pearls she
hung it on that of the Spanish chief. De Soto bowed
with courtly grace as he accepted the rich gift, and for
a time kept up a show of friendship with the forest
queen.
His later treatment of the poor cacica was that of a
heartless traitor. Obtaining from her all the informa-
tion he could, and finding that she and her people
had no gold, he determined to rob them of what poor
treasures they possessed. Making her his prisoner, he
rifled the graves of former chiefs, in which were bur-
ied large numbers of pearls. The finest of the gems in
the possession of the tribe was a box of rare pearls,
the property of the queen, but which De Soto claimed as
his own, holding it in special esteem. It is pleasant
to be able to relate that the dusky captive managed to
escape from her guards and to baffle the thief by
taking with her the valued box of pearls.
The wanderers had now gone far through the east-
ern section of the country, the home of the cacica
being near the Atlantic seaboard. In this section De
Ayllon had landed twenty years before, and they found
among the Indians a dagger and a rosary left by him.
They were thus on known soil, and they now turned
to the west, seeking new and untrodden country.
But wherever they went most of the Indians proved
IN AMERICA 113
hostile, and they constantly had to fight their way.
Those of the natives who were taken prisoners were in
part slain, in part enslaved, being- led in chains, with
iron collars round their necks, and forced to carry the
baggage and grind the corn of their captors.
Throughout the year 1540 the adventurers wan-
dered on, most of them now utterly hopeless ; but they
found the governor " a stern man and of few words,"
a man of firm will and inflexible purpose. Their opin-
ions they might freely give, but his word they must
obey. Thus crossing Georgia, they entered the fertile
plains of Alabama, where they enjoyed the abundant
wild grapes and admired the luxuriant growth of
maize, then ripening in the Indian fields. Turning
southwardly as the year advanced from spring to au-
tumn, the party, with much reduced numbers, came at
length to a large village called Mavilla, near the site
of the modern Mobile.
The Spaniards proposed to take possession of this
place in their usual high-handed manner, and De Soto
and some of his men entered the palisades surrounding
it, accompanied by the mild-mannered cacique. But
the moment they were inside his meekness turned to
words of insult and he vanished into one of the houses.
A hot-headed Spaniard drew his sword on another of
the chiefs, whereupon, as if this were a signal, in a
moment showers of arrows poured from all the houses,
De Soto and a few others escaped, but nearly all those
with him were slain.
A hot battle followed, lasting nine hours, the In-
dians fighting with desperate courage. Only by set-
ting fire to the town and destroying many of their foes
by the smoke and flames did the whites at length pre-
vail. But their victory was a costly one, eighteen of
them being slain and one hundred and fifty wounded,
8
114 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
a large number of their horses killed or lost, and nearly
the whole of their baggage, which had been taken in-
side the town, being consumed in the flames.
The situation had now grown serious. The soldiers
begged to be taken back to the coast, where they might
await the ships. De Soto had secret information that
these ships were then in the bay of Pensacola, only six
days' march away, but he concealed this fact and led
his followers to the north, his pride forbidding him to
return until he had made every effort to discover some
rich country. The party wintered in a small town of
the Chickasaw Indians, in upper Mississippi.
When the spring of 1541 arrived and the time to
renew their journey was at hand, De Soto ordered the
chiefs to supply him with two hundred men to carry
his baggage. The Indians, on the contrary, exasper-
ated at their treatment by the whites, set fire at night to
the town, and fiercely attacked the Spaniards when
enveloped by the flames. Not a man of them would
have escaped to tell the tale had not the savages become
frightened at their own success, and drawn back when
victory was in their grasp.
But the losses of the Christians were severe. Eleven
of them had fallen, many of their horses had been
killed or escaped into the forest, most of the swine were
consumed, their very clothes were burned, and they
were obliged thereafter to dress themselves in skins
and mats of ivy leaves. But they erected forges, retem-
pered their swords, made tough ashen lances, and, led
on by their indomitable commander, resumed their
journey to the west.
In the month of May, 1541, they came to the banks
of the mightiest of American rivers, the lordly Mis-
sissippi, and gazed with admiration on the broad
waters of that grand stream on which the eyes of
IN AMERICA 115
white men had never before rested. It had been seen
where its waters poured into the Gulf, but they were
the first to see it flowing majestically southward be-
tween its banks, and bearing the floating spoil of thou-
sands of miles of forests upon its waves.
The remainder of this remarkable expedition must
be dealt with more briefly. Terrible had been the
progress of the invaders through that once happy land,
dreadfully had the poor natives suffered from the
ruthless cruelty of the whites, twice had the Span-
iards barely escaped destruction at the hands of their
exasperated foes, and now, with greatly diminished
numbers, most of their animals gone, themselves clad
only in leaves and skins, their arms, ammunition, and
baggage mainly destroyed, they stood on the banks
of a vast and swift stream, which seemed like an im-
passable barrier to further progress in that direc-
tion.
But no obstacles, either of nature or man, seemed
capable of stopping the daring De Soto. The natives
beyond the river appeared to be friendly, rowing down
the stream in a great fleet of canoes, and bringing gifts
of fish and loaves to their white-faced visitors. The
leader, therefore, determined to cross, led onward still
by that yellow phantom which had lured him so far.
Barges were built strong enough to carry their
horses, and after a month's delay they reached the
western bank of the great river, with a vast unknown
country extending interminably before them. Their
route now lay northward along the stream, through a
difficult country, with forests to be traversed and
morasses to be waded. Finally they reached the higher
lands of Missouri, a country where the streams fur-
nished fish and the forests wild fruits in abundance,
and where the natives hailed them as children of the
ii6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
sun and brought out their blind to be restored to vis-
ion by the sons of light.
Just how far north they advanced we cannot tell,
but we know that they wandered more than two hun-
dred miles west of the Mississippi, still seeking in vain
for gold and gems. Then they turned southward, and
spent the ensuing winter encamped near the site of
Little Rock, in Arkansas.
When spring came again De Soto, worn out by his
wanderings, and now deprived by death of his most
valuable aid, Juan Ortiz, resumed his journey, ad-
vancing towards the Mississippi through a country
of bayous and marshes. The dense woods, the fre-
quent water-courses, the impassable canebrakes, were
utterly discouraging, disease attacked the men in the
moist lowlands, and the Indians grew more hostile as
the strength of the whites decreased.
Near Natchez De Soto sought to overawe a tribe by
claiming to be immortal and to possess supernatural
powers, but its chief proved too shrewd for his arts.
" You say you are the child of the sun," said the In-
dian ; " dry up the river, and I will believe you. If
you wish to see me, visit the town where I dwell. If
you come in peace, I will greet you as a friend ; if in
war, I will not go back a foot."
The Spanish leader would soon be past peace or
war. Worn out by his labors and attacked by a viru-
lent fever, he felt that his end was at hand, and called
together the survivors of his company, asking their
pardon for the evils he had brought upon them, and
appointing a successor. On the following day. May 21,
1542, the companion of Pizarro, the discoverer of the
Mississippi, one of the greatest of the Spanish ex-
plorers, breathed his last, after a remarkable journey
IN AMERICA 117
in which the quest for gold had led him over a vast
stretch of the North American continent.
Alvaredo, his successor, fearing to let the natives
discover the fact of his death, had him secretly buried
outside the camp. Then, seeing that they looked sus-
piciously at the new-made grave, he had the corpse
removed during the night, wrapped in a mantle
weighted with sand, and sunk in the middle of the
great stream, the priests chanting over the body the
first requiems ever heard in that far western land. Re-
markable was the resting-place of a remarkable man.
Quieting the curious natives by telling them that
the Child of the Sun had gone to heaven, but would
soon return, Alvaredo quietly broke up the camp and
led his people away, penetrating hundreds of miles
deeper into the western wilderness in unrelenting
search of gold. Finally, hopeless of success, he led
them back to the great stream and, fearing to attempt
the long journey down its banks, set his followers
to building boats. Six months the worn-out men spent
in this work. Timber was cut with a large saw, which
they had carried with them through all their wander-
ings. Nails were made of the fetters of the slaves and
the scraps of iron that remained. The few horses and
hogs they still had were killed, and their flesh dried for
food, while the Indian settlements near by were robbed
of their supplies of corn. Barrels to hold fresh water
were made and other preparations completed.
Finally the seven brigantines they had built were
launched, and on the 2d of July, 1543, the wanderers
embarked. The point of embarkation was a short dis-
tance above the mouth of the Red River. Down the
stream they floated for seventeen days, the banks on
both sides lined with hostile Indians, who plied them
with arrows as they passed. Some five hundred miles
ii8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
of river journey brought them to the waters of the
Gulf of Mexico, whose coast they skirted for about
fifty days more. Finally, on the loth of September,
1543, the miserable remnant of De Soto's gallant band,
three hundred and eleven in number, reached the Span-
ish settlement of Panuco, in Mexico, where they were
received as men risen from the dead.
Thus ended the most remarkable, if measured by its
failures and misfortunes and the indomitable will and
courage of its leader, of the Spanish explorations of
the New World.
IN AMERICA 119
FRANCISCO DE CORONADO AND THE
LAND OF THE BUFFALO
There is nothing more significant of the enterprise
of the Spaniards in America, in the early days of con-
quest and settlement, than to find them engaged at the
same time in three great works of exploration, in
widely different sections of the continent. While Gon-
zalo Pizarro was seeking the land of cinnamon and
Orellana descending the Amazon, and while Hernando
de Soto was making his famous journey from the At-
lantic to the Mississippi, still another ardent explorer
was leading an expedition from the city of Mexico
far into the untrodden North, marching from the south
into the same vast region into which De Soto marched
from the east. This was the daring journey of Fran-
cisco Vasquez de Coronado into the land of the buf-
falo.
Some ten years before this an Indian slave brought
from the north had told a marvellous story. In the
land from which he came was a great and populous
kingdom named Cibola, whose king ruled over seven
thriving cities. Further on were other kingdoms
with greater cities still, and rich in gold and silver.
A yellow tinge seemed to lie over all the land.
The story told by Cabeza de Vaca and his compan-
ions when they reached Mexico, though it said noth-
ing about Cibola and its seven cities, helped to stimu-
late curiosity and cupidity, and a strong desire to ex-
plore and conquer the supposed rich countries to the
north arose. Who could say but that another empire,
I20 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
as rich and great as that of Mexico, lay there await-
ing the enterprising pioneer ?
Mexico by this time had settlements far north of
the capital city, and in 1538 Coronado, a man of dar-
ing enterprise and inspiring energy, was appointed
governor of New Galicia, the province of the north.
In the following year he sent out a pioneer party, con-
sisting of a priest named Marcos de Niza, who had
been with Pizarro in Peru, several Indian guides, and
especially the negro Estevanico, one of the comrades
of De Vaca in his wonderful journey, and from whose
knowledge of the land much was expected.
Northward went Father Marcos, hearing as he ad-
vanced stories of rich countries, where gold was worn
as ornaments by the people, who dwelt in large stone
houses with doorways built of precious turquoise. The
tales grew more alluring with every league of pro-
gress, and the worthy friar, who had seen the wealth
of Mexico and Peru, seemed justified in dreaming of
another golden empire awaiting conquest.
It was a picturesque country through which his
route lay, a land of fertile and well-watered valleys,
bordered by mountains ; of deep and narrow canons
through which swift streams ran ; of rock walls
carved by nature into the forms of towers and turrets.
Then came a richly irrigated region, where turquoises
were worn around the necks and in the ears and noses
of the people. Cibola lay still beyond, its houses grow-
ing in report until some of them became ten stories
high. Farther north the rugged valley of the Gila
River was crossed, and the pioneer pushed on into the
wilderness beyond, now attended by a large volunteer
escort of curious natives. So far all had gone on pros-
perously, but at length alarming tidings reached his
ears.
IN AMERICA 121
To tell what occurred we must go back a step.
Early in his journey the friar had sent Estevanico in
advance, trusting to his knowledge of the land and its
people, and bidding him, if he discovered anything of
importance, to send back a cross. Within four days
Indian messengers brought back a cross of such im-
posing size that it seemed to indicate great discov-
eries.
Let us follow Estevanico in his journey. The vain-
glorious negro, for the first time entrusted with a
mission, lost his head, and advanced through the In-
dian country with the state of an Oriental potentate.
A large escort of Indians gathered round him, carry-
ing his provisions and the gifts received by him from
the tribes. Two Spanish greyhounds followed at his
heels, and he was accompanied by a number of hand-
some Indian women, whom he had chosen as his special
attendants. On his sable arms and legs the grandilo-
quent negro wore tinkling bells and showy feathers
as ornaments, and in his hand he carried a gourd like-
wise adorned with bells and feathers. His former ex-
perience had taught him that this was a symbol of
authority among the Indians.
The negro's folly and ignorance led him in the end
to ruin and death. When near Cibola he, disobeying
the orders given him, sent his gourd into the city,
saying that he came to treat for peace and to cure the
sick. The chief to whom it was presented flung it
down angrily, saying, " These bells are not of our
fashion. We know not these strangers. Tell them to
go back at once, or they will all be killed."
This warning the imprudent negro chose to disre-
gard, advancing with his company to the city, where
they were stopped in their progress, despoiled of all
their possessions, and refused food and water. The
122 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
next morning, as they daringly left the house in which
they had been immured, they were attacked by the
people and Estevanico and all his followers killed,
except two Indians who escaped and carried the dis-
quieting news back to Father Marcos.
The alarming tidings spread among his followers,
frightening them so thoroughly that he had great diffi-
culty in inducing any of them to go farther into the
perilous country. Only by means of attractive presents
did he win over two of their chiefs. He did not pro-
pose to venture to the city which had proved fatal to
his dusky pioneer, but he did not wish to go back
without at least a sight of it. Cautiously advancing,
he at length reached the summit of a hill from which
he gazed down upon a broad and cultivated plain, while
afar, magnified by the mountain hazes, lay the city he
sought. To his excited fancy it was greater still than
the proud capital of Mexico, its flat-roofed stone
houses being large and of many stories. He dared
not go nearer, and returned to Coronado with this
story, attractive enough to whet the enthusiasm of the
ardent Spaniard, though nothing had been seen of
gold, silver, or precious stones. The green turquoise
observed was not of especial value, and no other treas-
ures had been found.
There was little cool weighing of the friar's narra-
tive. One city had been seen of seeming magnificence.
Other and richer ones were said to be beyond. Wealth
unimaginable might await the explorer. Mexico was
full of adventurous spirits eager to take part in any
promising enterprise, and the call for volunteers
quickly brought together a troop of over three hundred
daring men, most of them mounted, and many so dis-
tinguished in rank and lofty in aspiration that the
number of officers had to be strictly limited lest half
IN AMERICA 123
the troop should be captains. Eight hundred Indians
were taken along, sheep and cows were driven with
them to supply fresh meat, and nothing that seemed
likely to aid the enterprise was overlooked. Their
weapons of offence included several small field-pieces,
the dreaded thunder-tubes of former Indian wars.
Coronado was confirmed as commander by the Mex-
ican viceroy, and early in 1540 the expedition set out,
rivalling that of De Soto which had started from
Tampa Bay the year before in the splendor of bur-
nished armor, shining swords and lances, and richly
caparisoned horses. Those of lower rank wore hel-
mets of iron or of tough bullhide, the footmen car-
ried muskets and crossbows, and the Indian auxil-
iaries were armed with their accustomed war-clubs and
bows and arrows. A small fleet was also sent out
along the Pacific coast, designed to reinforce the land
army from a point farther north, but it failed to make
connections and was of no service to Coronado.
Warm were the hopes of the adventurers as they
rode onward in the path traced for them by Marcos
de Niza. Early in July they reached the city of Hawai-
kuh, — possibly the present Zuni, — which had loomed
so largely before the friar from his distant hill top.
To their bitter disappointment they saw before them,
instead of a splendid city, merely a large village of
some two hundred houses. And its people were evi-
dently ready to fight hard for their homes. Signal
fires on the hills had warned the Spaniards that their
progress was keenly observed, and as they came near
the houses showers of arrows greeted them. All the
women and children and the old men had been sent
away, and the warriors of Cibola were ready to die for
their native land.
The houses, like the pueblo buildings which still
124 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
exist in that locality, were of large dimensions, built
in retreating terraces, each story being smaller than
the one upon which it stood. These terraces offered
elevated points of vantage from which the archers
could pour their arrows with good effect. The war-
riors numbered only two hundred, but the character
of the buildings and the fact that the town could be
approached only by a narrow, winding road were
points in their favor. It was evident that the place
could be carried only by assault.
Posting the footmen where they could fire on the
warriors, Coronado led his dismounted horsemen where
they could scale the walls by aid of a ladder they had
found. This was no easy task. The leader's shining
armor made him an especial mark for the skilled arch-
ers, and he was so hammered with arrows and bat-
tered with stones that he had to be carried wounded
from the field. Others were hurt, and three horses
were killed, but in less than an hour the place was
taken, the warriors fleeing from their fierce assailants.
Disappointment awaited such of these as hoped for
wealth. No trace of gold, precious stones, or riches
of any description was found. They obtained the pro-
visions they badly needed, and that was all. The friar
Marcos, fearing for his life from the exasperated treas-
ure-seekers, stole out of the camp and hurried back
to Mexico, bringing to the viceroy the first discourag-
ing tidings from the expedition. The food supplies
consisted of " corn and beans and chickens, better than
those of New Spain." The chickens were probably
wild turkeys, which the natives kept for their plumage.
This first city of Cibola was a sample of the whole.
Here were no rich and thriving people ; here no treas-
ures of gems and gold. The people were merely poor
agriculturalists, destitute of wealth, but valorous in
IN AMERICA 125
defence of their homes, and the magical " Seven Cities
of Cibola" shrank into unimportant villages. The
same was the case with the seven cities of Moqui, vis-
ited by a party of horsemen, and found to be mere
villages of poor Indians, whose only wealth consisted
in corn, skins, and cotton mantles. Some of the vil-
lages stood on lofty heights, to be reached only by
narrow steps cut in the rock.
The country was scoured by horsemen far and wide,
one party discovering the wonderful canon, a mile in
vertical depth, through which the waters of the Colo-
rado pursue their winding way towards the sea. Na-
ture has nowhere else so deep and imposing an abyss,
and as the discoverers gazed into its stupendous depths
their heads swam with nervous dread. Two men
sought to descend, but attained only a third of the
frightful depth, and on their return reported that a
great block of stone, which seemed from the summit
of a man's height, was loftier than the tower of the
Cathedral at Seville.
Towards the east, the Spaniards were told, lay a
country of cattle with soft hair that curled like wool.
Such were the first tidings received of the buffalo of
the plains. The Indians who brought this news led
back a party of horsemen, who in five days reached
a town built on the summit of a high clifif, and almost
inaccessible. Riding onward, they came to the coun-
try of Tiguex, in which were twelve villages built of
adobe, and where the people welcomed them as friends.
To this country the army followed, and here they en-
camped for the winter.
The journey to Tiguex — which lay in the valley of
the Rio del Norte, near the present Albuquerque — had
an important result on the future career of the ad-
venturers. For here was found an Indian slave, who
126 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
said that his native land was a rich country to the
northeast, called Quivira, the true land of the buffalo,
described by him as huge animals with shaggy manes.
El Turco, as the Spaniards named him from his re-
semblance to a Turk, was a man of vivid imagination,
which he freely used for the benefit of the credulous
Spaniards. Brought before Coronado, he had a mar-
vellous story to tell. In the wonderland of Quivira
was a river two leagues wide, with fishes the size of
horses, on which the lords of the land floated in huge
and splendid canoes, moved by sails, and having more
than twenty rowers to a side. A great golden eagle
adorned the prow of each, and the lords reclined in
them under rich awnings. Every afternoon the ruling
chief of the land rested under a tree on the branches
of which hung many golden bells, lulling him to sleep
with their melody. The precious metals were almost
as plentiful as stones, the very jugs, plates, and bowls
being made of gold.
It is no matter for wonder that the Spanish adven-
turers were carried away with these enticing fables.
Their past experience made them ready to accept the
most exaggerated tales, and such a promise as this
was not to be lightly set aside. Their disappointment
hitherto had been such that the tale of El Turco was
to them like a spur to a jaded steed. On the 23d of
April, 1 541, the party again set out, heading towards
the northeast. Against the advice of El Turco they
loaded their horses with provisions, he protesting
that they would need these animals to bring back the
gold and silver they would find. They took him along
as a guide, probably much against his will.
Northward they marched, league after league, cross-
ing the track of Cabeza de Vaca, in the valley of the
Canadian River, and advancing for nine days beyond
IN AMERICA 127
that point until they reached a country of plains which
seemed endless, and were tenanted chiefly by the bur-
rowing prairie-dogs. This was the country of the buf-
falo, of which they soon came upon vast herds. So
numerous were they that one day, when a herd was
put to flight, the animals fell into a ravine in such
multitudes as to fill it up, so that the remainder crossed
upon their dead bodies.
Indians were met and eagerly questioned, but none
of them knew of the yellow and white metals so glow-
ingly described by El Turco. That romancer was
thereupon put in fetters, with threats of death if his
story should prove false. ,Coronado, not deeming it
wise to take his whole force over those interminable
plains, with no human inhabitants other than scat-
tered Indian hunters, now sent back all but thirty
horsemen and six foot-soldiers, with whom he still
hoped to reach the golden realm of Quivira.
Food was plentiful, the bufifaloes furnishing them
an abundant supply of meat, and for six weeks they
continued their journey, reaching at length what El
Turco said was the land of Quivira. It was far from
being the realm of gold for which they had so ardently
hoped. It lay in about 40° north latitude, extending
north of a wide stream which is thought to have been
the Arkansas River. It thus was situated in the
present State of Kansas.
The country was found to be well watered by rivers
and brooks, the soil being a strong, black mould,
bearing plums like those of Spain, with nuts, grapes,
and excellent mulberries. It was a promising land for
farmers, but barren as a wilderness for gold hunters.
The only metal to be found among the people was cop-
per. All the Indians seen were savages, dwelling
in lodges of straw or buffalo hides, wearing buffalo
128 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
robes for clothing, and knowing no cultivated food
plant but the maize. The disgusted Coronado took re-
venge upon his lying guide by strangling him, and
raised on the bank of the Arkansas a cross w^ith this
inscription : " Thus far came Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado, general of an expedition."
It is an interesting fact that at this very time, in
the summer of 1541, Hernando de Soto had reached
a point in nearly the same latitude and only five or
six hundred miles to the east, this other great leader
being then on the highlands of the White River, in
western Missouri. A week or two of travel eastward
and westward at this time might have brought these
famous explorers together in the far interior of the
American continent — perhaps to condole with each
other on their mutual disappointment.
So far as Coronado's purpose was concerned, all
was now at an end. He kept up the search somewhat
longer, and then returned to Tiguex, and on October
20, 1 54 1, sent a report to Charles V. of Spain that
no gold or silver had been found and that the region
was not even fit to colonize. Southward they went,
harassed by the Indians, suffering from hunger, and
losing many of their horses, until the company lost
all discipline, and straggled helplessly towards the city
of Mexico, in which about a hundred ragged fellows at
length appeared, the miserable remnant of the gallant
cavalcade which had set out with such high hopes two
years before. Coronado was looked upon with dis-
dain, as having come back with empty hands, yet the
courage and resolution of the man who had explored
the vast interior of the continent from Mexico to
central Kansas was in reality worthy of the highest
applause.
IN AMERICA 129
JACQUES CARTIER AND THE DISCOV-
ERY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE
As will be seen from the stories so far told, Spain
kept wonderfully busy in the work of exploration in
the half-century succeeding the discovery of America.
Gold was the beacon that led the Spaniards on to the
conquest and settlement of the South. During much
of the same period France had been busy in the North,
fish, instead of gold, luring them across the seas.
The tale brought back by the Cabots of the vast
multitude of codfish found in the northern waters was
not lost on the hardy fishers of Brittany and Nor-
mandy, and not many years passed after the discovery
of America before these daring mariners were crossing
the ocean in search of this great wealth of fish.
From that time to the present the waters of New-
foundland have been haunts of daring fishermen.
One trace of their early presence exists in the
island of Cape Breton, named by them from Brittany.
As early as 1506 one of these men, named John Denys,
explored and drew a map of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Other vessels than those of France crossed the waters,
and in 15 17 we hear of some fifty vessels of various
nations seeking the finny wealth of the West. A letter
written by an English captain in 1527 says that he
found in the harbor of St. John, Newfoundland,
eleven sail of Norman and one of Breton fishermen.
It is with one of these men with whom we are here
concerned, Jacques Cartier, a hardy mariner of St.
Malo, France, who had made several voyages to the
fishing banks, and who in 1534 was selected by the
9
I30 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
French king to head a voyage of discovery to these
western waters.
On the 20th of April, 1534, Cartier's expedition,
consisting of two small vessels, left the harbor of St.
Malo, and, driven by favoring winds, in twenty days
reached the shores of Newfoundland. After sailing
almost around this island, he entered the Gulf of St.
Lawrence, and followed its coast to the inlet of Gaspe,
where on July 24 he planted a lofty cross, bearing a
shield with the fleur-de-lys of France. He continued
up the bay until August 9, when he found himself in
the mouth of a noble river, whose opposite sides could
barely be seen. Not prepared to winter in that cold
climate, he now set sail for France, taking with him
two of the natives. Early in September he was back
in St. Malo harbor, and France was ringing with the
fame of his discovery.
Early in the following year he was oflf again, now
with three good ships, well manned, its company in-
cluding some of the young nobles of France. He was
to explore the river he had found, establish a colony
if he could, and trade with the natives for gold, if he
found any in their hands. The voyage was stormy,
but on August 10 the adventurers were once more in
the Gulf, to which they gave the name of St. Law-
rence, the patron saint of that day. Entering the
broad river, to which the same name was afterwards
given, Cartier sailed boldly up its waters, his vessels
viewed with amazement by the startled natives on its
forested shores, and after a few days came to anchor
near the locality where the city of Quebec now stands.
It was then the site of an Indian village called Sta-
dacona, many of whose inhabitants fled in terror to the
forest as the " winged canoes" came to rest and let
fall their sails.
IN AMERICA 131
The chief, Donacona by name, was evidently ad-
vised of the coming of the ships and may have heard
of their visit the year before. In a short time he
came out to them with a fleet of twelve canoes, filled
with armed warriors. Ten of these held back, while
two of them glided up to the side of the nearest ship,
where the chief began an oration in his own tongue.
Cartier was able to converse with him by the aid of
the two Gaspe Indians, whom he had taken to Europe
the year before, and who now had some knowledge of
French.
What the wary chief wished to learn was whether
the strangers came for peace or war. On learning
that their purpose was peace he was quite ready to
meet them half way, and soon an amicable state of
affairs was established between the red sons of the
forest and the white sons of the sea. Learning from
Donacona that a larger Indian town, by name Hoche-
laga, lay several days' journey up the river, Cartier
determined to visit it in one of his ships, leaving the
others at anchor where they lay. The savages looked
on with wonder and admiration while the anchor was
raised, the sails were set, and the vessel began to glide
gracefully through the ruffled waters. But their feel-
ing was changed to abject terror when the great guns
roared from the ship's sides, their thunders reverber-
ating from the surrounding hills.
Having thus impressed the frightened natives with
the power of the whites, Cartier proceeded up the
stream in the " Hermerillon." The shallowness of the
waters forcing him to leave this vessel in Lake St.
Peter, he continued his journey in two boats, all the
natives he met proving very friendly. A lover of na-
ture, Cartier viewed the shifting landscape with deep
gratification ; its primeval forests, luxuriant in foliage,
132 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
here and there presenting great sweeps of chistering
vines, loaded with ripe chisters of grapes ; the noble
river, on whose bosom floated great flocks of water-
fowl ; the strange notes of the whippoorwill and of
other birds that flitted through the trees ; the bright
autumn sunshine, the still clear nights, all filling him
with delight. And with this was mingled the proud
thought that he was the pioneer of civilization in that
land, whose marvels no white man had gazed upon
before.
On the 2d of October the boats arrived opposite
Hochelaga, a village of the Huron Indians, the people
of which lined the shore, making friendly signs, and
inviting the whites in the language of gesture to land.
Supplies of fish and maize were freely offered, for
which the visitors gave knives and beads in exchange.
Cartier prudently decided to pass the night in his
boats, but on the following morning, dressed in the
most imposing costume he possessed, he led his men
in procession to the village, near which the sachem met
him with gracious courtesy, though with the gravity
of his race. Cartier gave him a number of presents
and hung a cross round his neck, directing him to
kiss it.
The village was not extensive, consisting of about
fifty huts, which were strongly built and defended by
three lines of stout palisades. Around it were fields
of ripe corn, the chief food plant of the Indians. The
friendliness of the chief and his followers was not
assumed. They appeared to regard their white visi-
tors as beings of a superior race, and, conducting them
to their council lodge, they brought in their sick to be
healed by these beneficent and powerful beings. The
most that Cartier could do was to pray with the un-
tutored natives, and invest their sick with the cross.
IN AMERICA 133
trusting that it would have some efficacy in heahng
them.
The ceremonies over, Cartier ascended a lofty hill
which lay behind Hochelaga, giving it the name of
Mont Real, a name which survives in Montreal. From
a point near its summit he gazed with admiration over
a noble prospect of woods and waters, hills rising at
intervals, while lakes studded with green islands di-
versified the extended view. He saw here in imagina-
tion a future prosperous community, of which he
would figure as the pioneer.
The natives, untutored as they were, had considera-
ble knowledge of the geography of their country, and
regaled his ears with stories of the course of their
majestic river, and of the immense lakes through which
it ran, the most distant being like a vast sea. It would
take them, they said, three months to pass through
these great waters in their canoes, and still beyond
was another noble river that ran through a region
free from ice and snow.
In the course of these waters was a place where a
broad stream poured down in a mighty cataract. They
also spoke of a great expanse of water to the north,
doubtless that of Hudson Bay, and gave some imper-
fect account of the country to the south. As for silver
and gold, they had none of these precious metals,
though they had some knowledge of copper and of
where it could be found.
Friendly as the Hurons of Hochelaga showed them-
selves and warmly as they pressed their visitors to
remain, the approach of winter warned Cartier to re-
turn, and after a brief stay the visitors sought their
boats, which the Indians followed for some distance
down the stream, making signs of farewell. So far
they had found only friendliness among the natives,
134 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
and were not prepared for a sudden attack that was
soon after made upon them by a band of hostile In-
dians, while spending the night on shore. Only a
hasty retreat to the boats saved their lives, Cartier's
boatswain rescuing him from imminent peril of death.
Regaining their ships, Cartier and his followers
wintered in the St. Charles River, the people of Sta-
dacona supplying them with provisions and maintain-
ing their friendliness throughout. But they suffered
severely from the intense cold of the Canadian winter,
against which they were ill provided with clothing.
The dreaded disease of scurvy also broke out among
them, and quickly carried off twenty-five of their num-
ber. It might have been far more fatal, but that an
Indian who had been cured of it showed them where
to find a remedy. This seems to have been a decoc-
tion of the bark of the spruce-fir, which restored the
remainder of the sick to health.
The close of the long and severe winter and the
breaking up of the thick river ice were hailed with
delight, and the adventurers prepared to return home.
They had no gold to show, nor any valuables of other
kinds, but they had made important discoveries from
which France was to profit much in the future. A
cross bearing the arms of his country was erected by
Cartier, its inscription declaring Francis I. to be the
rightful king of this new-found realm, to which the
discoverer gave the name of New France.
So far all had gone on well and honorably, but the
sequel gave the natives an example of that treachery
from which they so often suffered at the hands of
the whites. Cartier requited the natives of Stadacona
for their hospitable kindness with the basest ingrati-
tude. Luring Donacona on board his ship, he detained
him, with two other chiefs and eight warriors who
IN AMERICA 135
accompanied him, and set sail for France. Here the
most or all of these unfortunates died within a year
after their arrival.
Though Cartier had discovered a noble river, with
fertile banks, it was in a land destitute of precious
metals or gems and in which the winters were of in-
tense severity. Colonists were not ready to settle in
such a climate, and four years passed before another
expedition was sent out. In 1540 Francis, Lord of
Roberval, fitted out a number of ships, of which Car-
tier was appointed chief pilot and captain-general. He
again sailed up the St. Lawrence to Stadacona, but the
stolen chief was not with him and the old friendliness
of the natives was gone.
Finding that he had made foes of his former friends,
he went higher up the river to Cape Rouge, and here
built a fort, sending two of his five vessels back to
France for supplies. Here he spent a second winter
in the old discomfort, and during the following sum-
mer searched the country widely for gold. A few
trifling specimens were found, and some small dia-
monds picked up on a headland which he named Cape
Diamond, but the country failed to respond to the
hopes of the adventurers, and Cartier, not receiving
the supplies for which he had sent, and not caring to
spend another winter in that bitter climate, set sail
for home.
On his way back he put into the harbor of St. John,
Newfoundland, and there found Roberval, with a new
company and an abundance of stores. Roberval, who
had been appointed viceroy of New France and had
high hopes of a prosperous career, earnestly begged
Cartier to go back with him, but the pioneer had seen
enough of Canadian winters and decisively refused.
That night, fearing that the viceroy might seek to de-
136 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
tain him, he secretly weighed anchor, slipped out of the
harbor, and headed away for France, which he reached
in due time.
The hardships of the winters already passed in Can-
ada seem to have been too much for Cartier's health,
for he died soon after his return. Roberval's later ca-
reer was nearly as brief. After spending a winter in
Canada, he returned home, and some time after started
with another expedition which the ocean seemingly
swallowed, as it was never heard of again. More than
fifty years were to pass before a successful colony
would be planted in New France.
IN AMERICA 137
JEAN RIBAULT AND THE HUGUENOTS
IN FLORIDA
In 1562, nearly thirty years after Cartier sailed up
the St. Lawrence, another French expedition came to
the shores of the New World, seeking the balmy south
instead of the frosty north. It was in the charming
month of May that the sea-tossed voyagers reached
land on the coast of Florida and sailed into the noble
St. John's River, which, from the time of its discov-
ery, they named the River of May. All they saw filled
them with delight. There were forests of mulberry-
trees covered with caterpillars, but these they mistook
for silk-worms, and dreamed dreams of a great silk
industry. Proceeding up the coast they came to the
spacious Port Royal harbor, which they took to be the
outlet of a broad and noble stream. So deep was it,
they said, that the greatest ships known could anchor
safely in its waters, while the pines near at hand fur-
nished pitch for their ships, and the moss which cov-
ered the tallest trees of the coast served them in place
of oakum.
It was religious persecution that sent these emi-
grants across the seas. They were Protestants, or
Huguenots, who had suffered much from their Cath-
olic enemies in France, and were seeking a place of
refuge in the New World. Their leader was Jean
Ribault, a brave captain of Dieppe, France, and on his
vessels were some of the young nobility of France,
members of the Protestant party. The famous Ad-
138 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
miral Coligny had sent them abroad, that they might
found an empire in the New World where they could
worship God in safety in their own way.
Ribault was not prepared to plant a colony on these
new shores, but he erected a monument of stone en-
graved with the arms of France, and left twenty-six
men to hold the spot for France till he should return.
The fort he built was named Fort Carolina in honor
of Charles IX. of France. It has given its name to
two of the American States.
Ribault expected to return without delay with sup-
plies and colonists, but when his ships reached France
he found that the Catholics and Huguenots were at
war, and it was impossible just then to return to the
aid of the pioneer party he had left. After looking
to sea for months for the promised sails and seeing
nothing but the unbroken waves, the soldiers lost
heart. They grew sullen and hard to manage ; their
commander was harsh and hot tempered, and his cru-
elty to the men gave rise to a mutiny in which he was
killed.
Where was Ribault? Would he never return?
Weary with waiting, they began to build themselves
a vessel in which they could go back to France, and
so eager were they to reach their old homes that they
set sail with not half the needed stores. Fortunately
an English vessel met them when famine was busy
among them. Those who were nearest death from
starvation were set on shore in France. The strong-
est were taken to England. And thus ended the first
attempt to plant a French colony in the south.
In 1564 France was at peace again and a second ex-
pedition was sent out, this time under a mariner named
Laudonniere, who had been with Ribault in the former
voyage. Sixty days' journey brought the fleet to Flor-
IN AMERICA 139
ida, and this time the emigrants were landed on the
banks of the River of May. Port Royal had proved a
scene of suffering and misfortune, and they avoided
it in favor of this verdant and beautiful situation.
They built a fort which, like the former, they named
Fort Carolina, and gave vent to their joy in a hymn
of thanksgiving. They little dreamed that before
them lay the most terrible and ruthless tragedy
known in our history. The story has been often
told, but, brutal as it is, we are obliged to tell it
once more.
At first all was full of cheer and promise to the
colonists. The air was sweet and balmy, nature was
replete with enchanting scenes, the soil was richly fer-
tile; it seemed a western paradise. The natives re-
ceived the strangers with warm greetings and hospi-
table hands. The French, full of joy, raised a monu-
ment with a crown of laurel on its top and baskets of
corn around its base. There seemed no reason, except
in the nature of man himself, that the new colony
should not be one of success and happiness.
Unfortunately, though religion had prompted the
expedition, many of those taking part in it were dis-
solute men, with no religion in their hearts and no
wisdom in their heads. They wasted their supplies
of food; they robbed the natives and turned them
from friends into enemies ; they rebelled against their
leaders; and a party of them, pretending that they
wished to escape from famine, made Laudonniere sign
an order permitting them to take ship and sail to New
Spain. What they really wished to do was to turn
pirates and prey on Spanish commerce. Luckily for
honest mariners, they met with ill-fortune, their vessel
being taken and they made prisoners. The few who
escaped in a boat had to put in at Fort Carolina, and
I40 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Laudonniere taught them a lesson by hanging the
ringleaders.
While this went on the colony fell into a desperate
state. The natives would neither give nor sell them
food, they had wasted their own, no supplies came
from France, and for months the colonists had almost
no food save that which the forest supplied. When
May of the next year arrived they determined to build
the best vessels they could and do their utmost to get
home to France. In August, while they were still at
work, help came to them. Sir John Hawkins, an Eng-
lishman of title who had turned slave merchant, ar-
rived in their harbor. He had just sold a cargo of
negroes in the West Indies whom he had stolen in
Africa, and was on his way home with the money won
is this terrible trade.
Cruel as he had been to the blacks, he was full of
kindness for the suffering whites. He gave them a
good supply of provisions, and also a vessel from his
fleet, in place of the wretched brigantines they were
building. Soon afterwards, when they were almost
ready to set sail, to their delight a squadron of French
ships sailed into the harbor. At their head was Jean
Ribault, who had come out to take command of the
colony, bringing with him provisions, garden seeds,
farming tools, domestic animals, and new emigrants.
All was joy, their sufferings were forgotten, they felt
sure of making themselves a happy home on Flor-
ida's verdant soil. Yet, unknown to them, the terrible
tragedy which was to come upon them was now very
close at hand.
The leading cause of this event was that Frenchmen
had settled on land claimed by Spaniards, heretics on
soil claimed by sons of the church. The Spaniards had
deserted Florida twenty years before, but Spain still
IN AMERICA 141
held that Florida was hers, and that Florida extended
north as far as the seas of ice. It was not until 1565
that they attempted to take possession again. Then a
daring and cruel adventurer, Pedro Menendez by
name, who had grown rich in the usual ways of the
Spanish-Americans, offered to conquer Florida for
the king, he to be made its governor.
He was preparing his expedition when news came to
Spain that a colony of French Huguenots had settled
in Florida. Menendez at once declared that all these
heretics must be killed. In this way it happened that
about the time that Ribault left France to visit his col-
ony, Menendez left Spain to destroy these colonists.
He had a large fleet, in which there were more than
twenty-five hundred persons, soldiers, sailors, priests,
and emigrants, the greatest expedition Spain had ever
sent to the New World.
He met with a tempest on his way and two-thirds of
his ships were scattered over the seas, but with the re-
mainder he reached Florida shortly after Ribault had
put into the River of May. It was on August 28, St.
Augustine's day in the Roman Church, that he came
in sight of the coast. A few days later he discovered a
fine harbor and beautiful river, and gave them the
name of St. Augustine. Here still stands the city of
St. Augustine, founded by him, and the oldest city in
the United States.
After deciding on this place for his settlement, he
sailed north to where the French fleet lay at anchor.
'' Who are you and what do you want?" he was asked.
" I am Menendez of Spain," he replied. " My king
has sent me to put to death all the Protestants in this
region. The Catholics among you I will spare ; every
heretic shall die."
Ribault was taken by surprise and was not ready to
142 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
fight, so he cut the cables of his fleet and put to sea,
outsaiHng the Spaniards, who followed him. As they
could not overtake him they returned to St. Augustine,
landing and taking possession in the name of the king.
Philip II. of Spain was proclaimed the sovereign of
all North America.
Meanwhile the French were in a state of indecision.
What should they do ; stay where they were and de-
fend themselves against the Spaniards, or put to sea
and attack them? Unluckily, against the advice of his
officers, Ribault resolved upon the latter course. It
might have succeeded, but the elements were against
him. He had not long left the harbor when a fearful
storm burst upon his fleet, driving the ships before it
and hurling them vipon the coast, every vessel being
wrecked. Most of the men reached the shore, but the
entire fleet fell a prey to the waves. The Spanish
ships escaped with much less loss.
It was a terrible misfortune for the Huguenots, who
were now at the mercy of their foes. Menendez led
his men overland upon their fort, attacked and cap-
tured it, and put to death every soul found in it, not
only the soldiers, but the aged and sick, the women
and children, nearly two hundred in all being ruth-
lessly massacred. Only Laudonniere and a few
others, who had fled to the woods, escaped. Some of
these gave themselves up to the Spaniards and were
instantly murdered. The others succeeded in reach-
ing two small French vessels still in the harbor, and in
the end made their way to France with the story of the
massacre.
Meanwhile Ribault and his shipwrecked men were
seeking to make their way through the forest towards
Fort Carolina, of the fate of whose garrison they knew
nothing. A party of them, about two hundred in num-
W
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2
IN AMERICA 143
ber, were met by messengers from Menendez while
halting at Matanzas Inlet, with promises of safety and
good treatment if they should surrender. They were
also told of the capture of the fort. There seemed but
one thing to do, if they would escape starvation. They
yielded and were ferried across the stream, ten at a
time. As each detachment landed they were led be-
hind a sand hill and their hands tied behind their
backs.
When they were all thus helplessly in the hands of
their foes they were questioned, and those who said
they were Catholics or mechanics were led aside. Then
a signal from Menendez was given, the trumpets
sounded, the drums were beaten, and the Spanish sol-
diers, sword in hand, fell upon the helpless captives,
cutting them down until not a man of them remained
alive and the soil was deeply stained with their blood.
" We do this to you not as Frenchmen, but as Luth-
erans," said the ruthless Menendez.
A day or two later Ribault, with three hundred and
fifty men, the remainder of the shipwrecked crews, ap-
peared at the inlet and were met in the same way.
Ribault and one hundred and fifty of his men, de-
spairing of escape, agreed to surrender and were fer-
ried across and bound and massacred like their com-
rades. The other two hundred, vowing that they
would not trust the word of a Spaniard, slipped away
into the forest and nothing more was ever heard of
them. Thus ended the bloodiest deed of treachery and
murder ever perpetrated on American soil, one which
ever since has been a foul blot on the honor of Spain.
It might be thought that when tidings of this atroc-
ity reached France the nation would have risen as one
man to avenge its slaughtered sons. But these were
Protestants, heretics; they had no right to live; and
144 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the government let the deed of blood pass without a
protest. Not so one of its sons, Dominic de Gourges,
a bold Gascon soldier, a good Catholic, but a man
who held that the honor of France had been tarnished,
and that blood was more than creed. He determined
to avenge the murder and redeem his country's honor.
De Gourges sold his property and borrowed what
he could from his friends, and with the proceeds
equipped three ships. Then, on August 22, 1567, he
sailed for Florida with one hundred and fifty armed
men, not to found a peaceful colony, but to avenge the
slaughtered colonists. Reaching the mouth of the
St. John's River, he took by surprise two small forts
which the Spaniards had built there. The garrison
of the large fort heard of his coming and were filled
with terror, thinking that he had a large force of men.
This stronghold, built near where Fort Carolina had
stood, was soon in his hands, most of its defenders
being killed. He took revenge for the massacre of the
Huguenots by hanging the remainder upon the neigh-
boring trees, placing over them the following words :
" I do this not as unto Spaniards or mariners, but as
unto liars and murderers."
Then he sailed back to France, sorry no doubt but
for one thing, that he had not caught the arch-mur-
derer, Menendez, to hang him highest of all.
IN AMERICA 145
MARTIN FROBISHER AND THE NORTH-
WEST PASSAGE
It is certainly a little singular that the busy and
bustling people of England, who in the later centuries
became the most active of all in the work of discovery
and colonization, should in the early days have shown
so little interest in the great new continent, which the
Spanish were busy in exploring and settling, and in the
investigation of which the French were showing con-
siderable activity. After the voyage of the Cabots, —
Venetians whom Henry VII. graciously " permitted"
to go to America, — eighty years passed before another
ship left the shores of England on a voyage of dis-
covery. Ships crossed the ocean it is true, but these
were privateers or pirates, in search of the rich gal-
leons of Spain, or fishing boats seeking the fertile
banks of Newfoundland. None of them carried dis-
coverers or colonists.
We must go forward to the year 1576 for the first
voyage of discovery from England after that of the
Cabots. In that year Martin Frobisher, a sailor of un-
usual daring and enterprise, set sail upon the western
seas. What he was seeking was not discovery in
America, but a waterway by the north to China. In
1553 Sir Hugh Willoughby had endeavored to reach
China by sailing northeast around the continents of
Europe and Asia. Frobisher's purpose was to sail
northwest in search of a passage around the continent
of America. His goal was that northwest passage
which men long continued to seek but which no ship
passed until that of Amundsen in 1905.
10
146 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
In his mind this was " the only thing in the world
that was yet left undone" by which fame might be
won. Little did Frobisher know how many things
were left undone. Too poor to buy a ship for him-
self, it took him years to get any one to help him.
Then Dudley, earl of Warwick, came to his aid. In
the month of June, 1576, his little fleet, consisting of
two small barks and a pinnace, set sail on the Thames,
Queen Elizabeth kindly waving the mariners a fare-
well — it was all she did for the enterprise.
The little pinnace, of ten tons burden, went to the
bottom in a storm. The sailors on one of the ships,
frightened at the wild waves, turned about and sailed
back home. With the other, a vessel of twenty-five
tons, — not much larger than the barge of a man-of-
war, — the dauntless Frobisher kept on. He reached at
length the barren shores of Labrador. Sailing north
from here, he found a passage or inlet which opened
into a strait. He was now among a group of islands
in the latitude of 63° N. Hopeful that this lane of
water might lead to the Pacific he sailed westward,
venturing into this realm of the icy north far beyond
the goal of any former navigator.
But his voyage ended in failure. Lost in labyrinthine
passages, he was at length forced to turn back, with
nothing to show but a native of the country and some
stones he had gathered in proof that he had taken
possession in the queen's name.
These stones led to an unlooked-for result. In those
days Am.erica was a synonyme for gold-mines, and
when word came from a London refiner that one of
the stones brought by Frobisher contained gold there
was an instant excitement. The very word gold was
enough to fill men's minds with visions of unfathom-
able wealth. Possibly the fabled El Dorado lay in the
IN AMERICA 147
frozen north instead of the sunny south. There were
those who wanted to lease the new lands from
the queen, and the fleet that was quickly fitted out
had for its goal, not the Pacific, but the hoped-for
mines.
Gold ! it was like rich food to the hungry. The
queen, who had given nothing to the former expedi-
tion but a wave of her august hand, now fitted out a
ship at her own expense, in hope of wealth unmeas-
ured. Others did the same, till there was quite a fleet.
As for mariners and adventurers, far more offered
than the ships could hold, and those who were left
behind felt that they had been robbed of fortune.
Finally, in May, 1577, the hopeful party set out for
the new El Dorado " with a merrie wind."
Reaching America, the fleet of ships sailed into a
throng of icebergs, and for a time the dread of ship-
wreck and death drove from their minds the thirst for
gold. Fortunately they were in the summer of the
north, a season of almost perpetual day, and the perils
surrounding them could be seen and avoided. Into
the strait formerly traversed by Frobisher he sailed
again, though not as deeply as before. He and those
with him were no longer thinking of China, but of
richer spoil than the East could give, and the land they
reached held large heaps of earth which promised the
wealth they coveted. Spiders were there, in multi-
tudes, and they had heard that " spiders were true
signs of a great store of gold." The greedy crews has-
tened to freight their ships with this questionable sub-
stance, Frobisher working as eagerly as the meanest
among his men.
What the goldsmiths of London had to say about
this spider-haunted earth we are not told, but in the
next year the gold-thirst was far from being quenched.
148 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
and the finest fleet ever yet sent across the ocean, fif-
teen sail in all, was despatched under the command of
Frobisher to bring back a cargo of the gold-bearing
rocks. This was not all. A colony was to be formed
in the realm over which frost reigned as king, a hun-
dred men being sent for this purpose. What though
no tree, not even a shrub, grew on those barren shores !
Glistening gold lay there in heaps, enough to make
England the richest of lands, and this wealth must
be seized and held for Britain and its queen.
Elizabeth now paid a good share towards the fleet,
there were soldiers as well as sons of the gentry among
the colonists, and three of the ships were to be left
with them, while twelve returned with cargoes of the
shining ore. Nobody cared now about the northwest
passage and the riches of China. The land of gold
that glistened in their eyes banished the wealth of
Asia from their vision.
Gayly onward went the fleet, blown by the winds of
hope. But trouble lay before the ships, which, when
they neared the western coasts, became lost amid a
multitude of icebergs, some of them vast in size, and,
as they melted under the midsummer sun, pouring tor-
rents of sparkling water down their glassy sides. The
tumbling ice crushed and sunk one vessel, its crew
being with difficulty saved. In the train of the ice
came blinding mists, and the ships went astray, en-
tering what is now known as Hudson Strait, instead
of the passage they sought.
Frobisher was delighted with this broad opening,
which he thought must surely lead to the Pacific, but
he was not sent to win glory as a discoverer, but to
gather gold, and he sailed hither and thither in search
of the gold-laden isles, often in danger from ice and
rocks, once very near shipwreck, but finally reaching
IN AMERICA 149
the haven he sought, in the Countess of Warwick's
Sound.
By this time sailors and colonists had lost all their
enthusiasm. The latter had no taste for this world of
chill desolation ; the former were ready to mutiny.
One vessel, carrying food for the colonists, stole away
and set its sails for England's shores. The others
reached an island on which was enough of the black
ore they sought " to suffice all the gold-gluttons in the
world." All thought of forming a colony was now
given up. The crews set themselves eagerly to load-
ing the ships with these precious stones, and back they
sailed with glowing visions of enjoyment from the
wealth beneath their feet.
We are sorry that so promising a story should end
so flatly as this one must. Many of our readers may
have read tales that seemed cut off short at the end,
leaving the finish of the plot untold. So it is with this.
The stone-laden fleet got back to England, and there
the story ends. Not a word more is told us. The his-
torians of the voyage say nothing about what was
done with the cargoes, around which so many warm
hopes centred. No doubt it was mere " fool's gold"
they carried, and they were ashamed to tell the world
that they had been fools. No doubt the goldsmiths now
found that the black ore held no yellow metal in its
crevices. All we know is that the story here breaks
off, and silence reigns. Likely enough there were bit-
ter maledictions of the hasty refiner whose false cry
of gold in the stones sent them on a costly and hopeless
quest, but all we can say is that no more ships were
sent out to the polar regions in search of gold, for no
more is told us.
Frobisher went to the north no more, but he firmly
believed that a short route to China and the East lay
I50 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
amid those channels he had traversed. He was not
alone in this belief, and the plan he had conceived was
pursued by another bold mariner seven years after his
return. This was John Davis, or Davys, a seaman
who had won reputation for skill and daring, and
whom the British government sent out in 1585 for the
same purpose that had taken Frobisher to the north-
ern seas on his first voyage. He was not sent for gold,
— Queen Elizabeth and her court had lost faith in polar
gold, — but to seek for a route to Asia by way of the
northwest.
Davis had no better fortune than Frobisher, though
he sailed much farther north than any man had done
before him, and became the pioneer in polar discovery.
Sailing around the southern cape of Greenland, he
shaped his course up the west coast of this great island,
which he justly named Desolation. He found, how-
ever, " many green and pleasant islands bordering the
shore," and a sea free of ice. Fleading now northwest-
wardly in hopes of reaching China, he came upon a
westward shore in latitude 66°. In this a broad open-
ing, now named Cumberland Strait, yawned before
him, and along it he went for about one hundred
miles. Then, as the season was growing late and ice
beginning to form, he turned his prow homeward for
Merrie England.
Davis had found enough to raise hopes of finding
more, and he was sent out again in 1586 and 1587. In
the latter year, sailing in a little vessel of twenty tons,
he entered the wide passage now known as Davis
Strait, and emerged into the broad sea called Baffin
Bay, keeping on till he attained the high latitude of
73°. The natives came out in their skin canoes, and
by their signs he judged that there was a wide sea to
the north. The waters he was in were free of ice, and
IN AMERICA 151
hope blossomed in his heart. But as he went on, ice
blocked his way, and a fierce north wind assailed his
little craft. Discouraged by this, and by the loss of
some men he had left behind to fish, he gave up the
attempt and sailed for home. Thus ended the polar
work of the father of Arctic discovery.
Yet Davis felt sure that the pathway to Asia lay
in the track he had followed. He named the farthest
point he reached the Cape of God's Mercy, in the fond
belief that the northwest passage led that way. He
found the sea he had reached free of ice, and the air
tolerable, and he went on with the curious argument
that the climate at the pole must be delightful, and
that the people dwelling there " have a wonderful ex-
cellency and an exceeding prerogative above all na-
tions, for they are in perpetual light and never know
what darkness meaneth, by the benefit of twilight and
full moons." What he said agreed with his summer
experience, but later explorers have not found the polar
region a realm of delightful climate and richly favored
people.
We may close this record of early polar discovery
with the story of William Baffin, who went to the seas
of ice twenty-five years after Davis, and like his two
predecessors made three voyages to those waters, these
being in 1612, 1615, and 1616. He was seeking the
northwest passage which Davis fancied he had found,
and in his last voyage entered and explored the large
basin between Greenland and the western isles now
known as Baffin Bay. Both Davis and Baffin spent
lives of adventure after these voyages north, and both
were killed in the Eastern seas.
152 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE IN THE TRACK OF
MAGELLAN
It is not much to the credit of England in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth that some of the famous mariners
of that showy reign were what we would call pirates
in our day. Chief among these was Sir Francis Drake,
the sea-king, who became illustrious by a course of
what we must designate as splendid piracy, for it
consisted in robbing the ships and settlements of
Spain, with which country his nation was at peace.
Oxenham, who followed in his path, was caught by the
Spaniards and hung, and no one in England had a
word to say against it. But Drake covered his crime
against the law of nations by the glamour of brilliant
deeds and glittering success. So no one called him a
pirate, and the queen was glad to make the bold rover
a knight of her realm, while she laughed behind her
fan at the protests of Spain. As Drake was a dis-
coverer and explorer, as well as a rover, his story
must be told here.
Having made himself a tc .or to the Spaniards of
Mexico and the West Indies and crossed the isthmus
to the walls of Panama, taking treasure everywhere
with a free hand, the daring rover determined on a feat
far surpassing the exploits of any of his rivals. He
would sail to the Pacific and take golden toll from the
galleons and cities of Spain in that ocean on whose
waters none but Spanish ships had ever been seen.
In 1577 he sailed from Plymouth, England, with a
fleet of five ships, bound for Peru and a golden mar-
ket. By October of the next year he found himself
IN AMERICA 153
with a single ship, the " Golden Hind," in waters
which no keel had ever troubled, those of Cape Horn.
His other ships had been lost or left behind, and of his
crews only some sixty men remained, but he went on
with as undaunted a heart as though he were still
admiral of a gallant fleet.
Avoiding the Straits of Magellan, where Spaniards
might be met and his coming made known, he ven-
tured into new waters, his little craft daring the perils
of the Horn, on whose rocky coast he was the first
man to set foot. Then, stretching up into the broad
Pacific, the adventurers sailed on until the coast of
Chile lay before them. They were nearing the land of
golden promise. Here on the hills sheep and cattle
browsed and corn and potatoes grew, there being every
sign of a prosperous community.
After some dealings with the Indians, a chief came
on board, who told them that a large galleon, richly
freighted with treasure, lay ready to sail in the harbor
of Valparaiso, to the south of where they were. Bit-
terly hating the Spaniards, he was quite ready to pilot
their foes, and within a brief time the " Golden Hind"
sailed into the harbor, and Drake, to his delight, saw
the treasure-ship at anchor.
There was no suspicion in the Spanish crew. Never
had foreign keel cut those waters before. Little heed
was paid as the stranger craft glided alongside, and
the crew awoke to their peril only when the English
sailors, armed to the teeth, sprang over the bulwarks
and leaped to the deck. Hardly a blow was exchanged
as the captors drove the panic-stricken Spaniards head-
long down the hatchway and took possession of the
ship. A rich prize it proved, with a freightage in gold
valued at one hundred and twenty thousand dollars
and other valuable wares. Of Chile wine there were
154 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
full two thousand jars, and in this the crew drank ..
deeply to their victory. An armed force sent ashore
raided the town, gathering more gold in houses and
churches, and then the " Golden Hind" sailed in tri-
umph away, much the richer for her cheap victory.
Other treasure was picked up as they followed the
coast northward, in one place a heavy weight in silver
bars being taken from a surprised party of carriers.
At Arica, a small coast town, Drake was told by an In-
dian of a heavily laden galleon which had not long be-
fore passed by, sailing northward. Here was another
golden opportunity. All sail was made in pursuit, the
admiral offering a heavy gold chain to the first man
who should see the prize. The chain was won by his
brother, John Drake, who soon after pointed to the
sails of a great ship, still half hidden by the morning
haze.
Not dreaming of an enemy in those waters, the
Spanish captain let the " Golden Hind" come close
aboard, and signalled for its officers to visit him. They
did, with an armed crew behind them, and before many
minutes the captain and his men were under hatches,
and the victors were adding richly to the wealth in
gold and silver they had already taken. Then the
Spanish captain and crew were set on shore and their
ship left to the mercy of wind and wave, while the
" Golden Hind" sailed triumphantly away.
Wealth enough had been won in this easy way to
make all on board rich, and Drake had some thoughts
of turning his prow homeward. But up the coast, not
far away, lay Lima, the capital of Peru, and he
hoped here to add largely to his treasure-store. So
onward gallantly bowled the " Golden Hind" until the
port of this town was reached and the few ships that
lay there were raided — little being obtained.
WFl"
IN AMERICA 155
As yet the career of the rovers had been Hke a
golden holiday, but now the tide of fortune was to
turn. A messenger sent from Valparaiso reached
Lima with news of the dangerous craft on the coast,
shortly after Drake had entered the harbor. The gov-
ernor had supposed the stranger to be a Spanish pirate,
and was making deliberate plans for its capture.
Learning that it was a heavily armed English vessel
on a raid for spoil, and already well laden with gold
and silver, his movements gained new vigor. Gather-
ing in all haste a large body of armed men, he led
them to the port.
Unluckily for the " Golden Hind," she lay in the
ofifing in a dead calm, while a land breeze favored the
two Spanish ships which the governor manned and
took out, their crowded crews eager to take the rich
prize that seemed to await them. There were anxious
souls on board the " Golden Hind" just then. It was
hopeless to fight those hundreds of armed Spaniards,
and unless a wind reached them soon all would be lost.
But luck changed for the rovers when the breeze
that impelled the Spanish ships reached their sails, and
the " Golden Hind " began slowly to move through the
rippling water. Soon her sails filled with the freshen-
ing breeze, and she swept more rapidly onward, keep-
ing fair pace with her pursuers.
On went the chase and the pursuit. Now the wind
sank, now it rose, and the distance varied, the Span-
iards at times coming near enough to reach the Eng-
lish ships with their shots. The " Golden Hind" sailed
well, but the Spanish ships did not lack speed, and it
began to look as if the hitherto prosperous career of
the British freebooters was at an end.
Fortunately for the latter, the governor, in his haste,
had neglected one matter of importance. He expected
156 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
that a short run would bring him up to the EngHsh
ship, and neglected to provision his craft. As a result
the Spanish mariners found themselves without food,
and the disappointed governor was obliged to give up
the chase. He still had hopes, however, of capturing
the audacious Englishman. On reaching Lima he has-
tily provisioned his ships, and sent them out again,
with a third added, in chase of the " Golden Hind."
But Admiral Drake was not the man to be caught
after gaining such a start, and the pursuing Spaniards
had seen their last of his ship.
To this point the story of Francis Drake had not
been one of discovery, but of what we can only desig-
nate as piracy. To-day such a man would very likely
have ended his career by being hung. But in those
days nations looked on such matters differently, and
success brought the bold freebooter high honor, as we
shall see. We have now to follow Drake through his
course of exploration and discovery.
The Strait of Magellan was his nearest way home,
but he feared that Spanish ships might be awaiting him
there, and with his rich freight of gold he did not care
to risk an encounter with his sixty men against possi-
bly hundreds of foes. So he headed north with the
forlorn hope of finding the northwest passage, of which
Martin Frobisher was then in search, and reaching
England by sailing round America in the north. We
know to-day how hopeless this project was, but no one
knew then.
Up the South American coast the rovers sailed, still
taking prizes and looting towns, their store of treas-
ure growing as they went. Then the Isthmus of
Panama was passed and the North American shores
were reached. As April of the next year came and
passed they left the land and stood boldly out to sea.
IN AMERICA 157
Drake fancied that the American coast ran in a straight
line to the north, and wished to get a good seaway, but
he was surprised, after saiUng for some five weeks
northwestwardly, to see land on his right. It must, he
thought, be a large island, but after following it for
many miles he became sure that he had struck the con-
tinent again, and that the coast ran northwest instead
of north.
The coast he saw was that of California. He was
not the first to discover it, for the Spaniards of Mex-
ico had been there before him. But there were none
of these foes there now, and the rovers found no in-
habitants but Indians, — not semi-civilized ones like
those of Mexico and Peru, but the simple and ignorant
savages of the north. They proved to be very friendly,
luckily for the mariners, for the much battered
" Golden Hind" sprung a leak, and all the cargo had
to be taken ashore and the ship thoroughly repaired.
The harbor they had reached seems to have been that
known as the Golden Gate, the entrance to the splendid
bay of San Francisco. Drake and his men wisely kept
on the best of terms with the Indians, making them
presents and winning their favor to so great an extent
that, when they saw that their white guests were about
to leave, their hospitable souls were filled with grief.
Tears flowed from their eyes, moans came from their
lips, and they wrung their hands as if they had lost
their dearest and best. As the ship glided majesti-
cally away a large body of Indians gathered on the
hillside, building bonfires as a farewell token to their
departing friends, who waved their hats in return.
Rarely have the whites dwelt long with the red men
and parted from them in such amity.
It was now the 23d of July, 1579. Northward sailed
the rovers along the coast, hoping as they went to
158 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
find some passage through which they could sail to
the Atlantic. Little dreamed they that this ocean lay
three thousand miles away, with mighty plains and
mountain-chains between. Drake and his men were
now in new waters and in the realm of new discovery,
and the secrets of the land were all unknown.
They kept on until they had skirted the whole west-
ern coast of the present United States, their journey
ending at about 48° north latitude, near the northern
boundary-line of the great republic. But the passage
Drake sought was not found ; the season was ad-
vancing and the air growing colder ; the passage to the
east might lie thousands of miles northward still ; to
go back through the Spanish seas was too dangerous ;
finally the rover captain took a bold decision, the path
that Magellan had followed lay open still, he would
head his vessel westward across the broad Pacific and
take her round the earth, being the first of men after
Magellan to accomplish this glorious deed.
Before leaving the American coast he landed and
took possession of the region he had discovered in the
name of Queen Elizabeth, christening it New Albion.
Then, on the 29th of September, he spread his sails
to the wind and stood out boldly into the Pacific's
waves, heading for the far-away Moluccas in Asia's
seas.
The voyage was prosperous, the winds proving fa-
vorable and the storms not serious, and after weeks
in which only the rolling waves were seen, the sight of
green hills met the glad view of the mariners. On
the 4th of November the island of Ternate was
reached, and the " Golden Hind" made harbor in the
isles of spices, the verdant Moluccas.
The king of Ternate gave the adventurers a warm
welcome, and they spent three weeks in his hospitable
IN AMERICA 159
waters. But danger awaited them when they took to
the sea again, for on December 10, when off the island
of Celebes, the hitherto fortunate ship ran aground on
a shelf of rocks. By good luck her bottom was not
pierced and no water came through, but before they
could get afloat again they had to throw overboard
eight of their cannon, part of their provisions, and
three tons of cloves which the Moluccas had added to
their cargo. Thus lightened, the " Golden Hind"
found water beneath her keel once more, and her
course was shaped for the island of Java, where she
was thoroughly overhauled.
The lost spices had been replaced at a later isle, and
on the 25th of March, 1580, the noble little ship set
out on the last great portion of her long journey, head-
ing for the Cape of Good Hope, which was reached on
the 15th of June. She had on board then fifty-seven
men, and three casks of water as a provision against
thirst. On the 12th of July the equator was crossed,
on the 1 6th fresh water was taken in on the coast of
Guinea, and on the 26th of September English soil was
sighted and the joyful adventurers beheld their na-
tive land again, after an absence of nearly three
years.
Drake, the second to circumnavigate the globe, had
been far more fortunate than Magellan, in reaching
home in safety after his many perils, and with wealth
enough on board to satisfy the desires of himself and
all his men. Great was the joy with which the mari-
ners were hailed, as they sailed in triumph into Ply-
mouth harbor. What mattered in those days the rights
and protests of Spain? The queen, after some hesita-
tion, came down to Deptford, where the " Golden
Hind" lay, shared in a banquet with her captain, and
then knighted him as Sir Francis Drake, approving
i6o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
warmly of all he had done, and practically snapping
her fingers at Spain.
As for the people of England, they hailed the for-
tunate freebooter as their greatest hero of the sea. It
was not so much the gold he had gained as the bril-
liancy of his exploits, the great daring with which, in
his single small ship and with his three score of men,
he had braved the Spaniards of the colonies and the
perils of the two great oceans, that won him the hearty
plaudits of his countrymen. The " Golden Hind " was
ordered by the queen to be preserved as a monument to
England's glory. But after a century passed it decayed
and had to be broken up, a chair, made of its sound
timber, and presented by Charles II. to the Oxford
University, being all that was left of the good little
ship.
IN AMERICA i6i
SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT, HIS FAILURE
AND HIS FATE
While Martin Frobisher was seeking for mines of
gold in the frozen soil of the Arctic zone, and Francis
Drake was getting gold in the easier way of robbing
Spanish ships and towns, other English adventurers
were engaged in the more laudable enterprise of try-
ing to found colonies on the shores of the New World.
Several such efforts were made before one succeeded,
and as these efforts have their place in the story of
American exploration, we shall tell the tales of the
several earnest men engaged in them.
First in the list, after Frobisher's hopeless effort to
plant a gold-mining colony on the northern isles of ice,
comes Sir Humphrey Gilbert, a gallant soldier of
Queen Elizabeth's wars. When the wars ended and
Gilbert's sword was thrown out of business, his active
mind turned to another field of enterprise. At that
time the Grand Banks of Newfoundland were thronged
with fishermen, fully four hundred vessels crossing the
ocean annually. Many of these were manned by Eng-
lishmen, who, as we are told, " were commonly lords
in the harbors." Gilbert thought that it would be an
excellent idea to make them lords on the land as well,
by founding a colony in Newfoundland and taking
possession of that large island for his queen and coun-
try.
He had no trouble in getting a patent for the land.
Kings and queens in those days were always ready to
give away what did not belong to them. It was de-
creed that if he should establish a colony within six
II
i62 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
years from 1578, when the patent was given, all the
land within two hundred leagues of his settlement was
to belong to him and his heirs, with full rights to make
laws for and govern the people.
Gilbert went into the enterprise with energy. Vol-
unteers were plenty, and at first all looked well. Then
quarrels began ; some wanted this, and some that ;
many dropped out in disgust, and when, in 1579, Gil-
bert and his followers set out, there were but few under
his flag, and ill luck went with them and forced them
soon to return, — all but one vessel, which the waves
swallowed up. The sea had taken toll from the fleet.
It was 1583 before he was ready to start again. All
now seemed promising. The queen herself bade him
good-bye and presented him with a golden anchor, —
perhaps as a token that he could anchor his colony
safely on those far western shores. Parmenius, a
scholar from Hungary, went with the expedition. He
would doubtless have been its historian had fortune
permitted him to return.
Few of those who sailed from Plymouth harbor so
bravely were to see the green shores of England again.
If ill luck attended the first expedition, double ill luck
went with the second. They were not two days out,
the English coast had not fairly vanished from view,
when the largest ship of the little fleet turned in its
track and hurried back to port. The excuse was that
an infectious disease had broken out on board. The
true reason probably was that the disease of faint-
heartedness had infected captain and crew.
This desertion was a sore blow to Gilbert, but he was
not one of the fainthearted kind, and kept steadily
on his course, reaching Newfoundland in good sea-
son. On the 3d of August he sailed into the harbor of
St. John's, and was not there long before he made it
IN AMERICA 163
known to the fisher-folk that he had come to take pos-
session in the name of his queen. They were all bid-
den to take part in the ceremonies, the Spanish, Portu-
guese, French, and such other foreigners as might
be there. The English present needed no summons.
The ceremonies were simple enough, being a mere dec-
laration, with the necessary waving of the British
standard, that he claimed that land for the august Eliz-
abeth, England's sovereign queen, and the planting of
a wooden column to which the coat of arms of Eng-
land was nailed fast. As for the fishermen present, all
were granted lands, with the condition that they should
pay a quit-rent. We do not know just how the foreign
fishermen viewed this proceeding, but there was noth-
ing for them to do but submit. Whoever had the right,
Gilbert had the power.
But to make a claim and to raise a column is not to
found a colony, as Sir Humphrey was soon to learn.
Those with him explored the land and the hills, look-
ing for the precious metals, as was so much the fash-
ion in those days. Most of those who went to the
mountains came back saying that they had found hope-
ful signs. The " mineral man" of the expedition was
ready to pledge his life that the hills were full of silver
ore. It was, or seemed, a great discovery. He was
bidden to keep his knowledge to himself, and speci-
mens of the supposed ore were carried on board the
ships by stealth, lest the foreign fishers might suspect.
Meanwhile the main purpose of the expedition did
not prosper. Gilbert had brought with him a sorry
lot of men, his sailors being little better than pirates,
and bent on robbing every ship that came in their way. It
was an evil that in those days infected mariners every-
where, and Drake's and Gilbert's men were only car-
rying out the ethics of their profession in that age.
i64 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
The robbing of Spanish galleons in times of peace went
far to make piracy a trade, and many besides those
named took part in it.
With men of this kind it was not easy to found a
peaceful colony. All went wrong; order could with
difficulty be maintained on shipboard. One of the ships
was abandoned as unseaworthy, and with the three re-
maining Gilbert set sail for the shores of the mainland
on a tour of discovery. Other misfortunes followed.
When they were off the coast of Maine the gross care-
lessness of the crew ran the largest of the ships on the
rocks, and it went to the bottom with nearly a hundred
of its men. Parmenius, the Hungarian scholar, went
down with it, and also the " mineral man," with all
his ore. The ore doubtless was of no more value than
Frobisher's gold-bearing stones, for silver has not
since been found in Newfoundland.
We now come to the pathetic and tragic climax of
our tale. With the two small vessels left there was
nothing to do but to hasten back to England. Sir
Humphrey had chosen for his flag-ship the smallest of
his craft, the little " Squirrel," a bark of only ten tons,
a diminutive craft utterly unfit to be afloat on ocean
waters during the months of storm. He had chosen it
as convenient for approaching the coast and entering
harbors. Those about him now begged him to go on
board the larger vessel, the " Hind," but he refused
to leave the little company who had been his com-
rades in all their dangers.
It was a noble but a fatal resolution. As they sailed,
the winds rose in their might and the seas grew high
and rough. The oldest sailor on board had never seen
" more outrageous seas." The little " Squirrel," la-
boring in the billowy waters, threatened momentarily
to go to the bottom. In that hour of danger Sir Hum-
IN AMERICA 165
phrey, staid old soldier as he was, showed the calm
courage that had carried him through many cam-
paigns. He sat abaft in his ship, with a book in his
hand, like a scholar in his library, and as the " Hind"
came within hearing distance he called out to them that
noble sentiment, which has since held place among
the world's proverbs, " We are as near to heaven by
sea as by land."
A stormy night followed the stormy day. Through
the hours of darkness the vessels labored on. Finally,
as midnight came near, the lights of the little " Squir-
rel," which had as yet been visible from the deck of
the " Hind," suddenly disappeared. It was the last
ever seen of the vessel or any of its crew. The tu-
multuous waves had claimed their victim, and the
brave old sailor was gone. The " Hind" rode out the
storm, and reached an English harbor in safety, with
the doleful news of Gilbert's tragic fate.
i66 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
SIR WALTER RALEIGH, THE PRINCE OF
COLONIZERS
We have now to tell the story of the great pioneer
among English colonizers, the man who devoted his
life and his fortune to the work of founding a colony
in America, but who was pursued by a persistent ill
fortune that made sport of all his efforts and robbed
him of the honor which should of right have been his,
that of establishing the first English colony in the New
World.
Walter Raleigh — Sir Walter Raleigh, as he after-
wards became and is known in history — was a step-
brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert, and sailed from
England with him in his first unsuccessful voyage. In
Gilbert's second voyage, that of 1583, the ship that
deserted and returned had been fitted out by Raleigh.
Thus misfortune seemed to dog his footsteps from the
start. It continued to haunt him in his many efforts
to plant a colony on America's shores.
The fate of poor Gilbert did not deter his enthusi-
astic step-brother. He was a favorite of Queen Eliza-
beth, who readily granted him in 1584 a patent which
gave him almost kingly powers in any colony he might
found. He did not propose to settle the chilly north,
like Frobisher and Gilbert, but chose the sunny south,
the salubrious land to the north of Spanish Florida.
When Raleigh's plans were made known colonists
crowded in. The balmy realms he sought were more
to their taste than the regions of frost. Two vessels
were sent out, filled with men and amply provisioned,
on a voyage of investigation to the North American
IN AMERICA 167
coast. Raleigh did not go himself, but chose able
mariners to command, and it was a hopeful crew that,
on the 2d of July, 1584, came within sight of land on
the Carolina coast. There is a strain of poetry in the
story they tell, that the nearness of land was heralded
to them by airs breathing fragrance, " as if they had
been in the midst of some delicate garden, abounding
with all kinds of odoriferous flowers."
Reaching a promising harbor on the 13th, they
landed and took possession in the queen's name. The
spot on which they stood was Wocoken Island, one of
those that skirt for many miles the coast of North Car-
olina. Stormy enough in the winter season, only sweet
and gentle breezes were found there in that month of
July, and the visitors were overjoyed with the beauty
of that islanded ocean and the charms of nature which
they beheld. The lofty trees, the luxuriant vines, the
shady arbors, the numbers and variety of birds, the new
and fearless animals, all filled their souls with rapture,
and words hardly served them to describe the beauties
of the scene.
The dusky natives, who gazed with timid wonder at
the newcomers, were as gentle and friendly as they
found nature to be. Passing to Roanoke Island, in the
inner waters, they were entertained by its chiefs with
simple but warm hospitality, and they tell us that " the
people were most gentle, loving, and faithful, void of
all guile and treason, and such as lived after the man-
ner of the golden age." Their reception, indeed, was
everywhere of the friendliest, and might have been
followed by genial and happy intercourse had the visi-
tors met their hosts half way in this spirit of amity.
As it was they were soon to change this sentiment to
one of distrust and hostility.
No colonists were left on the first visit. The ships
i68 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
returned to England, bringing with them two of the
natives, and with such glowing descriptions of what
they had seen among those " hundred islands," bathed
by the soft waves of a summer sea, that the queen, en-
chanted by their vivid account, gave these sunny re-
gions the name of Virginia, in honor of her own reign
as a virgin queen. To Raleigh she gave the honor of
knighthood, adding the knightly " Sir" to his name,
and rewarded him with a monopoly of sweet wines in
her kingdom, a grant which brought him in the wealth
needed to continue his work.
After the glowing stories that Captain Amidas and
Barlow of the returned ships had spread abroad, col-
onists were to be had in numbers, and in April, 1585,
a second expedition was sent out, comprising seven
vessels and with one hundred and eight colonists on
board. Raleigh stayed at home as before, but his able
friend. Sir Richard Grenville, took command, and
Ralph Lane, a distinguished soldier, was named as
governor of the colony to be founded.
On June 26 the fleet came to anchor at Wocoken,
and soon sailed through Ocracoke Inlet and up the
sound to Roanoke Island. From here Grenville, Lane,
and others made an excursion along the coast, lasting
eight days. They found the natives everywhere hos-
pitable. But at one of the Indian villages a silver cup
was stolen, and as there was delay in getting it back,
the headlong Grenville ordered the village to be burned
and its crops of corn destroyed. Soon after he sailed
back to England, having worked mischief through his
hot temper for those he left behind.
As for the land, it was still described in the warmest
language. " It is the goodliest soil under the cope of
heaven ; the most pleasing territory of the world. The
climate is so wholesome that we have not one sick since
IN AMERICA . 169
we touched the land. If Virginia had but horses and
kine, and were inhabited with Enghsh, no realm in
Christendom were comparable with it."
Hariot, the historian of the expedition, went into
more detail. He made a close observation of the land,
its products, and its people, and was especially enthusi-
astic about the abundant production of maize. The
potato he found to be very good food, and he learned
to smoke tobacco like the natives, thinking it to have
healing qualities. He described the people, their dress,
modes of life, manners, and customs, at length; the
cruelty of their wars, their arts in peace, their system
of government, and religious ideas.
Meanwhile the natives were far from pleased when
the ships sailed away and left so many men behind.
The unjust act of Grenville had excited their fear and
distrust, the fire-arms of the whites filled them with
terror, and they were shrewd enough to foresee that
more of the English would come, and that they would
in the end be killed and their land taken.
What could they do to get rid of these unwelcome
strangers ? The first effort came when they found that
the white men were eager for a yellow metal which
they called gold. One of the savages, an adept in the
art of lying, sought to send them afar in search of this
metal. The story he told them was certainly alluring
to men who were blankly ignorant of what lay in the
interior of the continent. The river Roanoke, he said,
had its springs in a great rock far within the land, and
beyond this rock was a mighty sea, so near the stream
that in times of storm the salt water dashed over the
rock and mingled with the fresh water of its springs.
Here dwelt a nation rich in gold and skilled in working
it, and pearls were so plentiful that the shores of their
city glittered with them. It is perhaps wrong to charge
\yo HEROES OF DISCOVERY
this Indian tale-teller with intentional falsehood. It
may have been that traditions of Mexico and the west-
ern ocean had reached his ears.
Lane was quite ready to believe him. He took a
boating party up the Roanoke, forcing his way against
its swift current, and keeping on until all their pro-
visions were gone and they were obliged to kill and
eat the very dogs they had taken with them. Lane's
quick return put an end to any plan which might have
been entertained of killing the whites left behind, and
the Indians were next inclined to leave their fields un-
planted, and thus starve out their visitors. This plan
was also given up. To starve the whites might be to
starve themselves. But Lane distrusted them. He
feared that they were forming a compact with their
neighbors to attack and destroy the whites, and re-
solved to give them a bloody lesson. He asked for an
interview with Wingina, the most active of the chiefs.
It was granted, and Lane and a number of armed men
were welcomed to his modest dwelling. Immediately,
without waiting for any show of hostility, the visitors
attacked Wingina and his attendant warriors, and
killed them all.
This act of bloodthirsty treachery took place on the
1st of June, 1586. It was not calculated to improve
the safety of Governor Lane and the colonists, and their
courage began to fail. They looked in vain for sup-
plies from England, and many among them began to
sigh for their native land. Their hopes revived when,
a few days later, the sails of a numerous fleet whitened
the seas. It proved to be Sir Francis Drake, with
twenty-three ships under his command. He had been
cruising for Spanish prizes in the West Indies, and had
seen fit to stop at his friend Raleigh's settlement on his
voyage home to England.
IN AMERICA 171
Drake gave them a ship and some boats, but a storm
destroyed these, and the colonists lost heart so utterly
that in the end he took them all on board his fleet and
set sail for home. Thus ended the first English colony
in America. They left a little too soon, for they had
barely gone when a ship arrived with all the stores
they needed. Finding the island deserted, it turned
back home again. Two weeks later Grenville appeared,
with three ships abundantly supplied. In vain he
sought for the colonists, and in the end set sail, after
leaving fifteen men on Roanoke Island to hold the
place till new colonists could come.
Raleigh had now much reason to feel discouraged.
All these expeditions had been sent out at his ex-
pense and all had ended in failure. Most men would
have withdrawn from the attempt after this experience,
but his resolution held firm. He would not give up.
So far he had sent men only, now he would send col-
onists with their wives and families, that they might
make homes in the western world. " The City of
Raleigh" was to be founded with a full municipal gov-
ernment. John White was named its governor. Laws
and rules were made for him. A squadron of ships
was got ready, Raleigh paying for them all. All the
queen had yet been willing to give was the name of
Virginia to the new province.
Setting sail in April, 1587, Roanoke Island was
reached in July. Here the fifteen men whom Gren-
ville had left were sought, but only their bones were
found, and their fort was a ruin. It looked as if the
savages had taken revenge on the white strangers, and
the spectacle was far from reassuring to the new
comers. They landed, however, took possession of the
fort and the dwellings left by Governor Lane, and the
new city of Raleigh began its history.
172 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
From the start there was trouble. One tribe of In-
dians was bitterly hostile. A party of the English,
coming upon some Indians at night whom they thought
belonged to this tribe, killed a number of them before
they learned that they were murdering their own
friends. When the ship returned White went with it
to bring out fresh supplies. But before he went a girl
child was born to his daughter Eleanor Dare, the wife
of one of the colonists. This, the first English child
born on United States soil, was given the name of
Virginia Dare. He left behind him eighty-nine men,
seventeen women, and two children, one of them being
his new-born granddaughter. Not one of these was
ever to be seen again.
There was war in Europe to make trouble for the
colonists. When Governor White reached England
he found that country in a fever of excitement. Spain
was making ready a mighty fleet, one of the greatest
ever known, which was to carry a powerful army to
England's shores, conquer that island, and make good
Catholics of all its people by aid of persuasion or
force. The " Invincible Armada" this expedition was
called, and all the best soldiers and sailors of England
were preparing to defend their country. Among them
were Drake, Frobisher, Raleigh, Grenville, and Lane.
It was a bad time to send aid to the colonists, but
Raleigh did not forget the poor folks he had sent across
the seas, and gave White two vessels laden with sup-
plies to take to them. These ships had a false captain.
Instead of going direct to America he spent some time
in search of prizes. As a result he was badly whipped
by a French man-of-war, and one of his vessels plun-
dered. They both had to go back to England, and the
colony was left to its fate, much to the distress of its
founder.
IN AMERICA 173
Raleigh was generous and warm-hearted, but his for-
tune could not bear such continual drains. He had
already spent more than forty thousand pounds on his
colonies and was now too poor to spend more. Very
likely most of our readers know that the " Invincible
Armada" did not conquer England, but was conquered
itself, being utterly beaten by the English bull-dogs
of the sea. But the great sea-fight with Spain delayed
matters in England, so that two years passed after
White left Roanoke Island before he was able to re-
turn in search of his colony, his daughter, and his little
granddaughter, Virginia Dare.
When he landed on the island he found, to his dis-
may, that the settlement was a ruin and the colony had
disappeared. Not a trace of man, woman, or child
could be found. There were no signs of them either
living or dead. The only trace of their fate was a tree
in whose bark the word " Croatan" had been cut.
Croatan was an island not far away, the people of
which had been friendly to the English. Had the
settlers made their way there? It would not have
been difficult to learn, but Governor White now
showed a faint heart. The season of storms was at
hand, he said; the ships were in danger. Deserting
in their extremity even those of his own blood, he
turned and sailed back to England, having proved as
base and cowardly as the soldier who flies from the
field of battle when his friends and comrades are in
danger.
No one ever saw the unfortunate colonists again.
Five times afterwards, it is said, the kind-hearted Ra-
leigh sent out ships to search for them, but they had
vanished as utterly as if the earth had opened and
swallowed them up. The story of the " lost colony"
has since led to much surmise. They may have been
174 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
murdered by the Indians ; they may have mingled with
them and become half Indians themselves. Long after-
wards there were found among the tribes of that re-
gion Indians with blue eyes and light hair and skin,
and some think these might have descended from the
lost colonists.
No other man was so earnest in the colonization of
the United States as Sir Walter Raleigh. He spent his
fortune, he gave years of time, to this cause, only to
meet with failure in the end. In all these efforts he
had not crossed the ocean himself, but in his later years
he did so on an expedition of discovery and explora-
tion of which something must be said.
In former stories we have spoken of El Dorado, the
fabled land of gold in South America, which Spanish
explorers made many vain attempts to find. The tale
was one that stirred up Raleigh's imaginative mind,
and he determined to seek for it himself. In 1595 he
set out, with five vessels, in search of this golden
realm, sailing to Guiana, on the northern coast of
South America, where it was supposed to lie. Reach-
ing the mouth of the great Orinoco River, he went up
it in boats for a distance of three hundred miles, seek-
ing vainly for the city and land of gold, but finding
them not. He came back as empty-handed as he had
gone, and wrote a book entitled " The Discovery of the
Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana." He
had not yet lost faith in its golden treasures.
When Queen Elizabeth died Raleigh's era of good
fortune came to an end. He was accused of treason,
convicted without proof, and sentenced to death.
Being reprieved, he was sent to prison in the Tower
of London and kept there for thirteen long years, and
while there wrote an excellent " History of the
World." He was let out in 161 5, broken in health
IN AMERICA 175
and partly paralyzed, on his offer to sail to Guiana and
open its mines of gold. Furnished with a fleet of thir-
teen vessels, he went there in 1617, and once more
journeyed far up the Orinoco, exploring in every
direction, but finding no mines and no traces of the
long sought El Dorado.
Many were his adventures on this expedition, one
of them being a fight with the Spaniards of St.
Thomas, in which his son Walter was killed. On his
return to England the king of Spain demanded that
he should be punished for his attack on a Spanish set-
tlement. James I. was quite ready to favor Spain.
Raleigh had found no gold, he had many enemies, he
had been condemned to death for treason in 1603, so
the king called up this old sentence and ordered him to
be beheaded. Thus perished one of the greatest men
connected with the history of colonization in America,
a man of the noblest impulses and of unyielding per-
sistence. Misfortune pursued him, but he made him-
self an undying name in his great field of enterprise.
Two centuries after his death North Carolina revived
in his memory the " City of Raleigh," and made it its
capital.
176 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
BARTHOLOMEW GOSNOLD AND OTHER
DISCOVERERS IN NEW ENGLAND
After 1492 it was long the custom of mariners, ex-
cept those who went to the far north, to follow in the
track of Columbus, and make their way to America by
the route of the Canary and West India islands. Bar-
tholomew Gosnold, an English adventurer, made his
first voyage by this route, but in his second, con-
cluding that this was a roundabout and needless
course, he decided to sail straight across the Atlantic.
Raleigh, the great colonizer, helped him, and in
March, 1602, he set sail in a small vessel which in
seven weeks brought him to Cape Elizabeth, on the
coast of Maine. Gosnold's voyage is of interest, for he
sought to found a colony on the New England shores
before that of the Pilgrims. If he had been successful,
the honor of .the first colony would have fallen to New
England instead of to Virginia.
Sailing down the coast and stopping at various
points, he discovered on the morning of May 15 a
long, sandy promontory to which he gave the name of
Cape Cod. This spot became famous in later years as
the first landing-place of the Pilgrims, but Gosnold was
the earliest of English birth to set foot upon it, or, so
far as we know, upon New England soil. At that time,
little more than three hundred years ago, there was not
a man of white skin in the whole region between Flor-
ida and Greenland.
Doubling Cape Cod, Gosnold sailed onward along
the coast until he entered the stately sound now called
Buzzard's Bay, but which he named Gosnold's Hope.
IN AMERICA 177
One of its islands he called Elizabeth, in honor of the
queen. The whole group of islands now bears this
name.
The adventurers were delighted with the beauty and
fertility of the land they had reached. Here were
noble forests, containing many stately trees, and wild
fruits in abundance. Flowers in profusion bloomed
before them, the eglantine, the honeysuckle, the wild
pea, and others unnamed. Here grew wild berries, the
strawberry and the raspberry, while grapevines fes-
tooned the trees. Sassafras, a valued medicinal plant,
was plentifully seen. Elizabeth Island held a broad
pond in whose centre was a rocky islet. On this was
built a fort and a storehouse for the defense of the
pioneer colony of New England.
Sassafras root, then looked upon as of sovereign
value in medicine, was so abundant that Gosnold
loaded his ship with it, and then prepared to return
with the story of his discoveries, first selecting a party
of settlers to hold the fort. But when the time came
for sailing these refused to stay. The Indians, at first
friendly, were becoming hostile, provisions were lack-
ing, they had good reason to fear death from the na-
tives or from starvation, and when, in June, the ships
set sail, no man was willing to stay behind. In five
weeks they were home again. They had been only
four months absent, and not a sick man was on board.
The story told by Gosnold and his men was an in-
viting one. They had found the voyage short and
safe, the climate pleasant, the country delightful. So
promising did it all seem that the merchants of Bristol
quickly organized another expedition to the same
shores, sending out in 1603 two ships under the com-
mand of Martin Pring. He was as successful as Gos-
nold had been before him. He coasted along the shores
12
178 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
of Maine, entering its rivers and harbors, and landed
also in Massachusetts, seeking sassafras, but finding
none. Then he sailed on until he reached Old Town
Harbor in Martha's Vineyard. Here the sassafras
cureall was found, and loading his ships he sailed
back to England with the valuable cargo.
Shall we go on with the story of these New Eng-
land explorations? They are of importance as events
in early American discovery. Pring had told as en-
ticing a story as Gosnold, and in 1605 an expedition
was sent out under George Waymouth, an experi-
enced sailor, who had already been to Labrador. Like
Gosnold, he reached shore at the sandy coast of Cape
Cod. Here he found himself among dangerous shoals,
and stood out to sea to escape them, heading north-
ward until he came to the group of islands now known
as St. George's, and passing through them into a fine
harbor, easy to enter, with good anchorage, and well
protected against the winds.
The climate seemed to him delightful ; the sea was
crowded with fish; trees of noble growth and girth
bordered the shores ; the silver fir yielded a gum which
to his fancy was as fragrant as frankincense ; so pleas-
ant in every way seemed the land that many of the
ship's company would have been glad to settle there
had he been prepared to leave them.
Making in his pinnace a tour of discovery around
the bay, he came in the last days of May to the mouth
of what seemed a noble river, broad and deep, and
sending its current strongly into the bay. It was the
stream now called St. George's River, up which soon
afterwards he took the ship, sailing between its for-
est-bordered sides for some eighteen miles. Its ver-
dant banks, its breadth, — from half a mile to a mile, —
its fine coves, the strength of its tides, were all highly
IN AMERICA 179
admired, and the explorers deemed themselves in a
land of plenty and delight.
When the ship reached shoal water Waymouth took
his boat and was rowed ten miles farther up the
stream, his pleasure at the fertility of the soil and the
richness of the vegetation increasing with every mile.
At the point where the river turns to the westward he
planted a cross, as a memorial of his visit, and turned
down stream again.
He had found the natives friendly and willing to
trade, bringing otter, beaver, and deer skins to ex-
change for the trinkets of the whites. Like others be-
fore him, he requited them for their friendliness by
decoying five of them on board his ships and carrying
them away with him to England. His purpose was to
have them taught English, that they might serve fu-
ture expeditions as interpreters.
Reaching Plymouth on his return home, Way-
mouth gave three of his dusky passengers to Sir Fer-
dinando Gorges, the governor of that town, and spoke
to him with the utmost warmth of the fertility of the
country he had visited, its delightful climate, its rich
fisheries, and the readiness of its people to exchange
costly furs for trifles. But above all these Gorges was
interested in the story of the fine and safe harbor which
had been found, for so far the English explorers of
the coast has met with little evidence of good harbors.
Such were the voyages which were to lead to the
pioneer colonies of the United States. We need but
say further here that Sir Ferdinando Gorges was for
the remainder of his life actively interested in the col-
onization of New England. He sent out ship after
ship, planted a colony in 1607 on the coast of Maine,
which endured for a year, — the cold of the winter prov-
ing too much for the endurance of the settlers, — and
i8o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
finally, after the Pilgrims and the Puritans had made
their settlements, he was granted in 1636 large pos-
sessions in Maine, of which he was made lord pro-
prietor.
Captain John Mason was associated with him in
this grant, which embraced the region between the
Merrimac and Kennebec Rivers. Here, after es-
tablishing some fishing villages, they divided their
claims, Mason taking the country west of the Pisca-
taqua River, which he named New Hampshire, after
Hampshire, his home in England. Gorges took the
country east of that river and named it Maine, — per-
haps as the " main " land, to distinguish it from the
coast islands.
i
IN AMERICA i8i
JOHN SMITH AND THE EXPLORATION
OF THE CHESAPEAKE
In the month of April of the year 1607 a small fleet,
composed of three vessels, and carrying one hundred
and five emigrants, came within sight of the American
shores. An ill-chosen party they were to be sent
abroad to plant a colony in the wilderness. Gentlemen
many of them called themselves, but gentlemen in those
days was apt to mean worthless idlers. Among them
were only twelve laborers and only a few mechanics.
They had been bidden to land on Roanoke Island, the
scene of Raleigh's unsuccessful venture twenty years
before. Fortunately a severe storm carried them past
the Carolina islands and into the magnificent Chesa-
peake Bay, the broad expanse of which they viewed
with the greatest delight.
Heaven and earth, they thought, had never framed
elsewhere so noble a place for men to dwell in. Into
the bay poured the waters of a broad river, which they
named the James, after James I., then king of Eng-
land. Up this stream they sailed for about fifty miles,
and on the 13th of May came to a peninsula jutting
into the river, which they chose as a suitable place for
a settlement, naming it Jamestown.
Among these colonists there was only one man of
whom we wish to speak in particular, for he was the
soul of the colony, and the most astonishing man for
the variety of his adventures who ever sought Amer-
ica's shores. He bore the plain name of John Smith,
but of the many men who have borne this name Cap-
i82 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
tain John Smith, as he is called in history, was the
prince. Never abler man took part in the founding
of a colony and never had man more worthless ma-
terial to deal with. It was due solely to him that the
Jamestown colony did not prove a quick and dismal
failure, like all those that had gone before it.
Before he crossed the seas Smith had had an extra-
ordinary career as a soldier. While quite young he
had taken part in the wars in the Netherlands. Later
he was shipwrecked and robbed and fell into great
want in France. He visited Italy and Egypt, and
fought against the Turks in Hungary, fighting three
of them in single combat between the armies, and kill-
ing them all. Taken prisoner in 1602, he was sold to
slavery among the Turks. His master treated him
cruelly, but Smith gained revenge by killing him and
riding off to safety on his horse. He escaped through
the forests, but was too fond of adventure to keep
quiet, and made his way soon to north Africa, where
there was talk of war. Finally he got back to Eng-
land, and there he joined the expedition to Jamestown.
He was to play as active a part in America as he had
played in Europe, and make himself one of the most
famous pioneers of the New World.
It is not our purpose to describe in detail the doings
of Captain Smith. These have been so often told that
we shall pass them by and confine ourselves to his
discoveries. It is as an explorer of the Chesapeake
that his name finds place in this work.
The " gentlemen" at Jamestown did as little work,
except in the search for gold, as possible. While they
were seeking gold he, far more wisely, was seeking
food, and they soon would have been starving if he had
not induced the Indians to help them. His first ex-
ploration came when the gold-seekers began to com-
IN AMERICA 183
plain that he had not ascended the Chickahominy, a
small river that ran into the James. They got it into
their wise heads that the Pacific Ocean lay not far
away, and that this river might lead to it and its pos-
sible hills of gold. The reason they did not try the
larger river, the James, was doubtless that the rapids
and falls above Jamestown cut off navigation on that
stream.
We do not know that Captain Smith expected to
reach the Pacific by rowing up a creek, but he had the
instinct for adventure and discovery, and went up the
Chickahominy in a barge until he could get no farther.
He then paddled twenty miles higher up in a canoe.
Here he was in the marshes near the river's head and
the Pacific still very far away.
This journey led to the most perilous of all Smith's
adventures. Taken prisoner by the Indians, he would
have been killed on the spot if he had not amused their
chief by giving him a little pocket compass. The
strange movements of the magnetic needle astonished
his captors so greatly that they spared his life. He had
many adventures among these Indians, and astonished
them still more when he sent a written message to
Jamestown and received a reply. The mystery of the
" talking paper" was still greater than that of the
needle that always pointed to the north.
In the end Smith was taken to the village of Pow-
hatan, the great chief on the York River, and it was
here that took place the most romantic of his adven-
tures. He tells the story himself, and therefore some
do not believe it. But there was nobody else to tell
it, and Captain Smith was not much given to lying.
Besides, the tale he told was not unlike other tales in
Indian history, so that we have much warrant to be-
lieve it.
1 84 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
This is the oft-told tale. When the captive was
brought before Powhatan, he found the great chief
reclining on a sort of throne, while around the wig-
wam sat a row of men and behind them a second row
of young women, decorated with feathers and beads
and with their heads and shoulders painted red. When
the prisoner entered they all gave a terrific yell. He
was brought water to wash with and food to eat, and
then the Indians began a long talk of which he under-
stood not a word. But he knew its meaning too well
when two large stones were brought in and laid before
Powhatan, and he was seized and thrown down, his
head on the stones, while some sturdy savages stood
over him with their war clubs raised in the air.
At this moment Pocahontas, the favorite daughter of
Powhatan, a girl of twelve or thirteen, who had begged
his life from her father, ran forward and laid her head
on his. This act of his daughter touched the old chief's
heart, and the captive's life was spared. Two days later
Powhatan permitted him to return to Jamestown, on
the condition that he should send him two great guns
and a grindstone. Smith was quite willing. He would
have offered them a ship if they had asked for one.
He showed the cannon and the grindstone to his guides
and bade them carry them home. But when they
found how difficult these were to lift they were very
well satisfied to take home some smaller presents.
This adventure only whetted Smith's taste for ex-
ploration, and on the 2d of June, 1608, he set out on an
important work, that of exploring the great Chesa-
peake Bay, tracing its sources, and gaining informa-
tion about its inhabitants. The equipment for this im-
portant expedition was a very small one, consisting of
an open barge, with fourteen men besides himself,
— seven soldiers, one doctor, and six " gentlemen," the
IN AMERICA 185
latter nearly worthless for an excursion of such risk
and length.
Sailing down the James to its mouth, they crossed
the bay to Cape Charles, and proceeded up its eastern
shore, carefully examining every bay and inlet, giving
names to the isles and headlands they met, and visiting
the chiefs. These Smith found in different moods, some
peaceful, some warlike. But he had insinuating ways
that disarmed them all, and those who fired upon his
party at first were soon ready to trade with them for
their finest furs.
After following the eastern shore for many miles up
the bay, he crossed over and found himself at the
mouth of the Patuxent River. Here no inhabitants
were visible, except the wolves, bears, deer, and other
fourfooted residents of the forest. The " gentlemen"
in his party by this time were thoroughly weary of the
journey, and begged him to go back, but he refused and
went on till he reached a point where the width of the
bay was reduced to nine miles. As a number of the
wearied were now sick he turned back, and on June 10
came to the mouth of a splendid river, the Potomac.
The sight of this fine stream so revived the sick that
they were quite willing to go up it, and the little barge
ascended above the sites of Mount Vernon and Wash-
ington and to the falls above Georgetown.
For thirty miles no inhabitants were seen, then they
came upon two natives, who became their guides up a
little creek. Suddenly they found themselves in a
great ambuscade, as it seemed, there being from three
to four thousand fierce-looking savages, " so strangely
paynted, grimed and disguised, shouting, yeHing, and
crying, as so many spirits from hell could not have
showed more terrible."
The small boat's crew seemed utterly lost before this
1 86 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
screaming horde, but their captain was an adept in
deaHng with the natives. He had his men train their
guns and fire so that the Indians could see the bullets
strike the water. The loud noise, the strange effect,
excited their fear and wonder, and in a moment down
went their bows and arrows and signs of peace fol-
lowed their show of hostility.
Farther up the river other tribes were met, all of
them friendly, and on their way back they came across
some great rocks which showed shining spots in places
which the rains had worn bare. At once the old
thought of gold arose. Up the rocks they scrambled
and eagerly scraped up the yellow spangles with which
the ground was covered. One of the natives, seeing
their eagerness, told them of a mountain near by where
plenty of yellow stuff was to be found, and guided
some of them to it. The substance found appeared
to be antimony. Some of it was afterwards sent to
England and pronounced to be of no value.
Farther down the stream Captain Smith met with a
serious adventure. The river was full of fish. Among
those caught by them was a sting-ray, a fish quite un-
known to those present, and from its dangerous spine
Smith received an ugly wound. The pain was so
intense, and his head and arms became so frightfully
swollen, that he thought he was fatally poisoned.
Death seemed near at hand, and in his seeming ex-
tremity he picked out a spot on a neighboring island
for a burial-place, and some of the men even landed to
prepare a grave for their dying leader. Fortunately it
was not needed. The remedies of the doctor miti-
gated the pain and reduced the swelling, and by even-
ing the wounded man had so far recovered as to par-
take heartily for his supper of the fish to which he
owed his wound.
IN AMERICA 187
Not long afterwards the explorers reached James-
town, their trip having occupied them twenty days.
But Captain Smith was far from satisfied, and a month
later was off again on a second trip to complete his
exploration. This time he passed the Potomac and as-
cended the Patapsco River, on the banks of which
dwelt a warlike and powerful tribe, the Massowomeks.
He had been warned against them, and as many of his
men were sick, he made them lie down in the bottom
of the boat and raised their hats on sticks to make
his force appear as formidable as possible. Luckily
these savages proved peaceful, as did nearly all he
met.
The journey led past the site of the future city of
Baltimore, whose harbor was probably entered and ex-
plored. They went on till they reached the head of
the bay at the mouth of the Susquehanna, a mighty
stream coming down from hundreds of miles to the
north. Here dwelt the tribe to which this river owes
its name, the Susqusohannocks, whom Smith speaks of
as a nation of giants. He measured the limbs of some
of them and gives figures which are incredible. One
of those he speaks of would have put to shame Goliath
of Gath by the girth of his mighty calves.
They were a populous people, to whom the whites
came as a revelation. The simple-minded savages
looked upon them as divine visitors and tried to wor-
ship them. Before they parted they gave Smith and
his men presents of some of their most cherished
treasures. Far up this stream, the whites were told,
lived a mighty nation, the Mohawks, " who dwelt upon
a great water, and had many boats and many men,"
and who " made war upon all the world." This was the
first news heard of the powerful Iroquois tribes, who
then ruled the country for many miles around.
i88 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
From this point the return journey began, following
the western shore of the bay. As before every inlet
was explored, names were given to points of promi-
nence, crosses were raised, holes were bored in trees
and writings placed in them, and other signs of pos-
session were made. Reaching the mouth of the Rappa-
hannock, they proceeded up this stream. Here savages
were met who had heard of the whites at Jamestown
and their doings and had no welcome for such dan-
gerous visitors. They attacked them fiercely with
spears and arrows, and followed them down the stream,
still firing on them from the woods. It would have
gone ill now with the explorers but for the fact that
they had obtained from the Massowomeks a number of
shields tough enough to turn the sharpest arrow.
These Smith placed along the sides of the boat, and by
their aid saved his crew. On September 7 the party
safely reached Jamestown again, after a narrow escape
from destruction in a severe storm off Old Point Com-
fort.
We have here given an account of a passage in the
life of John Smith of which little is usually said, but
which formed a very important part of his work. The
whole journey, with its many ins and outs, was com-
puted by him to be over three thousand miles in length,
and, in view of its many incidents and adventures, may
be classed as worthy the age of romance in American
history. The map he prepared of the bay was correct
as showing all its outline features. He visited all its
inhabitants and made friends with all except the trucu-
lent savages of the Rappahannock, opening the way
for colonial expansion. In view of the slenderness of
his means, the courage and resources shown, and the
valuable results, this two months' summer trip of Cap-
tain John Smith was a memorable exploit, which has
IN AMERICA 189
placed his name among the Hst of those who have
enlarged the boundaries of geographical knowledge.
We shall say nothing here about the remarkable
ability of Captain Smith in managing the unruly set-
tlers at Jamestown. This does not belong to our sub-
ject. It must suffice to say that a serious accident in
1609 obliged him to return to England, and that,
though he made another visit to America, he never saw
Virginia again.
In this second visit he made a close survey of the
northern coast, from the Penobscot to Cape Cod, pre-
pared a map of the coast, and gave the name of New
England to the country. The titles of New Spain and
New France had already been given to other sections
of the continent, but of those three titles that of New
England alone survives.
In 1615 Smith set out with the purpose of founding
a colony in New England, but severe storms drove him
back. When he set out again French pirates inter-
cepted his ships, and he escaped alone, in an open boat,
from the harbor of Rochelle. But he continued vigor-
ously to recommend the colonization of New England,
was appointed admiral of that country for life, and
lived to see the settlements of the Pilgrims and the
Puritans established on its shores.
I90 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
HENRY HUDSON AND THE DISCOVERY
OF THE HUDSON RIVER
A MARINER of note and fame was Henry Hudson,
an English sailor who in the years 1607 and 1608 made
two voyages in the track of Frobisher and Davis, seek-
ing that "will-o'-the-wisp," a northwest passage to
Asia. He then left the English and entered the Dutch
service, and in 1609 set out igain for the same purpose,
in a ship of the Dutch East India Company. His ship
bore the strange name of the " Half-Moon."
Touching at Newfoundland, he sailed on to Labra-
dor, and then turned to the south, thinking, like many
before him, that somewhere there might be a water-
way through the continent to the Pacific. He entered
Penobscot Bay; he landed on Cape Cod, which he
named New Holland, and kept on until he reached
Chesapeake Bay.
Knowing that an English colony was settled there,
he turned to the north again, and in a few days reached
the entrance of another great body of water, now
known as Delaware Bay. Here he claimed possession
of the country for Holland, but failed to sail up the
bay, continuing along the low New Jersey shores till
at length he came in sight of the Highlands, or Nave-
sink Hills. This the journalist of the voyage thought
" a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land
to see." It must have appeared so after the sandy
beaches they had just skirted.
On the following day he rounded a low " sandy
hook," and on the morning afterwards the " Half-
Moon" cast anchor in a fine inlet, at a short distance
IN AMERICA 191
from the shore. They were in the outer waters of
New York Bay, or, as they called it, " the great North
River of New Netherland."
Soon the natives came paddling in their canoes to
the ship, seeming to be highly pleased by the visit of
the whites, and viewing with wonder their great white-
winged canoe. They brought green tobacco, which they
offered in exchange for knives and beads. They wore
deerskin clothing, had copper pipes and ornaments,
and Indian corn for food. During that day and the
next they continued to visit the ship, some of the later
comers being dressed in feathers and furs.
Aleanwhile some men were sent in a boat to explore
the bay and what seemed the channel of a large river,
and found the land to be covered with trees, grass, and
flowers, and the air filled with a delightful fragrance.
But on their return, for no apparent cause, a party of
Indians made a fierce attack upon them, killing one
and wounding two others of the boat's crew. This
made Hudson suspicious of his visitors, and he would
permit no more to board his vessel. Two men then
on board he held as prisoners, but they afterwards
escaped.
As yet the " Half Moon" had lain in the outer bay,
but the anchor was soon lifted, and the ship passed
through the Narrows, entering the fine inner harbor.
Before them lay the wooded island on which has grown
up the greatest city of the continent and the second
city of the world. Into this broad harbor poured the
current of a splendid stream upon whose waters Hud-
son looked with delight and hope. Might this not be
the channel he sought, the liquid avenue to the Pacific,
the continental waterway to the wealth of the Indies?
Flowing from the far interior, no man in those days
could guess how far inland it might extend or what
192 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
marvels might lie upon its banks. He determined to
ascend it and see whither it led.
The Roanoke, the Chickahominy, and other streams
had been ascended with the forlorn hope of reaching
the Pacific, and now this great river was to be added
to their number. On the afternoon of September 12
Henry Hudson began his voyage up that noble stream
which through its later history was to bear his name.
Far up the stream went the adventurous voyagers,
past the columned wall of the Palisades, through the
mountain gap of the Highlands, beholding new scenes
of beauty or grandeur at every turn, while the natives
thronged to the banks and gazed upon the ship with
wonder, many of them coming out in their canoes with
forest commodities to sell.
Hudson viewed these dusky visitors with suspicion.
The unprovoked attack which had been made on his
boat's crew had taught him to doubt them, and he
resolved to try an experiment which, by throwing them
off their guard, might induce them to reveal any
treachery they had in mind. His purpose was to
loosen their tongues with the fire-water of the whites
and get them to speak freely while under its influence.
He invited several of the chiefs into his cabin^ set
out brandy before them, and drank some of it himself
as an example. The savages did the same and quickly
felt the effects of the strong liquor, one of them be-
coming so intoxicated that he fell to the floor in a
stupor. The others, frightened at seeing their fellow
seemingly dead, fled from the cabin, leaped into their
canoes, and paddled in all haste to the shore.
Hudson's experiment had not been much of a suc-
cess. Some demon, the natives thought, had taken
possession of their friend, and a number of them came
back with a quantity of beads, which they put in his
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IN AMERICA 193
hand, as an aid to help him get rid of the fiend. The
next morning they were early on board, and when they
saw the chief restored, brought back to life, as it
seemed, they were wild with joy. To reward Hudson
they brought him tobacco and beads, made him an
oration of which he did not understand a word, and
then brought on board a great platter of dressed ven-
ison which he understood better, and which they signed
to him to eat with them. Then, bowing to him with
deep reverence, they departed, all but the restored
chief. After his taste of the dangerous but alluring
beverage of the whites he preferred to remain on
board. Such was the introduction among the Indians
of this region of that demon of drink, which was to
prove the ruin of so many of their descendants.
Hudson continued his course up the river until he
came to a point a little below where the city of Albany
now stands. To his disappointment he found the river
here narrowing and shoaling, and the hope of reaching
the Pacific by its waters began to die out in his mind.
To satisfy himself he sent a boat some twenty or
twenty-five miles higher up the stream. It grew
steadily narrower and shallower as they advanced, and
it became evident to them that the head of ship navi-
gation was reached. No indications of the great west-
ern ocean had appeared, and Hudson decided to turn
back. He had at least discovered a splendid river and
a noble harbor, even if the main object of his search
lay beyond his reach in the unknown west.
The descent of the river proved to be much more
rapid than the upward journey had been. It was not
without its adventures. When near Stony Point a
number of Indians boarded the ship, and one of them
stole some articles from the cabin. He was shot and
killed by the mate, a severe punishment for a trifling
13
194 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
fault, and one which was destined to bring a quick
reprisal. On the following day, while the " Half
Moon" lay at anchor some distance farther down the
stream, a canoe put off from the shore. Among the
Indians on board Hudson recognized one of those he
had held captive and who had made their escape on
the voyage up stream. On seeing this man, treachery
was feared, and he and his companions were ordered
off. Two other canoes filled with armed men followed,
paddling under the stern, and making an attack with
arrows. The sailors fired back, and after three of
the assailants had fallen the others hastened to the
shore.
It was soon evident that the hostile spirit was gen-
eral, more than a hundred armed men now pushing off
from the land and making a threatening approach.
To repel them, one of the ship's cannon was fired, kill-
ing two of the savages and driving the others in panic
flight to the woods. But even the thunder of the can-
non, so terrible, when first heard, to the American
natives, did not deter these daring savages, for some
nine or ten of the boldest of them sprang into a canoe
and paddled out towards the vessel. Their effort was
hopeless against the well-armed whites. A cannon-
shot pierced their canoe and killed one of them, while
a volley of musketry prostrated three or four more.
The others hastened ashore and the battle was at an
end. Some five miles farther brought the " Half
Moon" into wider waters, where the mariners were
beyond the reach of their foes.
The ship was now near the bay, and the exploration
of the river was completed. It had been followed from
its mouth to the head of navigation, and though Hud-
son had neither found a northwest nor a transconti-
nental waterway to the Pacific, he had made a splendid
IN AMERICA 195
discovery and secured a valuable possession for his
employers. For himself he had won such fame as the
attaching of his name to the noble river he had trav-
ersed would give. His work was done, and setting
all sail he put to sea, glad to be able to carry to Hol-
land the news of his discovery.
The Dutch were not hasty in taking possession of
the territory found by Hudson. For years they had
no more than a trading station on Manhattan Island,
at the river's mouth. In 161 5 a settlement was made
at Albany, where the " Half Moon" had stopped in its
upward course. The country was named New Albany,
a title to be changed to New York when the English
succeeded the Dutch in possession. As for Captain
Hudson, a few words must suffice to finish the story
of his exploits.
In the following year, in a final effort to find the
northwest passage, he discovered and explored the im-
mense bay in the north of the continent which, like
the river he had found, still bears his name. Here he
passed the winter, suffering for want of provisions.
In the next spring the crew, angry at his desire to con-
tinue his researches, broke into mutiny, forced the
captain and eight of his men into a small boat, and
sailed away. Nothing was ever heard of them after-
wards, and of Henry Hudson there remained only the
fame of his discoveries.
There is an amusing story connected with the coming
of the first English ship to the Hudson, which may
serve to round up our narrative. This was in 1633, the
English captain being one Jacob Elkins, his ship the
" William." Wouter van Twiller, the Dutch gov-
ernor of the fort on Manhattan Island, sternly bade
the interloper depart, and refused him permission to
go up the river. If he should attempt it, the governor
196 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
declared it would cost him his life. To add to the
force of his words, he bade his men to hoist the flag
of the Prince of Orange on the fort and fire three
pieces of ordnance in the prince's honor. Elkins at
once ordered the English flag to be hoisted on the
" William,'' and three guns were fired in honor of the
king of England. Van Twiller, in a rage, now bade
Elkins take heed what he did, if he did not want to
pay with his neck for his insolence. Elkins in retort
hoisted anchor and sailed defiantly up the stream until
he came " near to a fort called Orange."
By this time the doughty Dutch governor was in a
state of high fury. Bidding all the inmates of the
fort to assemble before his door, he ordered a barrel
of wine to be broached, filled his cup to the brim, and
drank a bumper, crying out, " Let all who love the
Prince of Orange do the same and help me to repel
that insolent English dog." The barrel of wine was
soon emptied by the thirsty Hollanders, but they did
not seem eager to meddle with the daring English-
man, even with all the " Dutch courage" they had
imbibed.
Our tale goes on to tell that Elkins and his men
went ashore a mile below Fort Orange, landed their
goods, set up a tent, and opened a lively trade with the
Indians. When Houten, the commissary at the fort,
heard of these proceedings, he embarked with a trum-
peter on a shallop, which was shadowed with green
boughs, and sought the insolent strangers. As the
chronicler says, " By the way the trumpet was
sounded, and the Dutchmen drank a bottle of strong
waters of three or four pints, and were right merry."
Finding that neither the trumpet nor the bottle
scared the English, the Dutch set up a tent beside
theirs, displayed their own goods, told the natives that
IN AMERICA 197
the English goods were worthless, and did all they
could to take their trade away. But as it happened
the Indians knew Elkins, who had lived four years
among them and spoke their language, so they bought
his wares in preference to those of the Dutch, and
he stayed there fourteen days, doing a thriving trade.
By this time Van Twiller had completed his plans
to get rid of the insolent enemy, and sent a Dutch
officer up the river with a party of soldiers in three
small vessels. He bore two letters, in which Elkins
was ordered to up anchor and be off. Soldiers were
also sent from Fort Orange, " armed with muskets,
half pikes, swords, and other weapons." Reaching the
trading point, they drove away the customers of the
Ensflish, and ordered Elkins to strike his tent and de-
part. In the presence of this strong force he changed
his tone, pleading instead of defying, declaring that
he was on British soil and had a right to trade there.
But the Dutch had seen and heard enough of him, and
as he showed no signs of decamping they pulled down
his tent, hustled his goods and his men on board, " and
as they were carrying them to the ship sounded their
trumpet in the boat in disgrace of the English."
And thus ended the contest, the whole affair being
ridiculous enough to find a place in Irving's " Knicker-
bocker's History of New York."
198 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN, THE FOUNDER
OF QUEBEC
Sixty-eight years after Jacques Cartier sailed up
the St. Lawrence and visited the Indian town at Mon-
treal a second adventurer from France followed his
track up that great stream. This was the famous
Samuel de Champlain, one of the most active and
adventurous of the French pioneers in the New
World. His name still survives in America in that
noble inland body of water, Lake Champlain, which he
was the first to visit and explore.
Born in 1567 at a seaport on the Bay of Biscay,
Champlain fought for King Henry IV. in the navy
and the army, and won the high esteem of that war-
like monarch. When the wars had ended the sol-
dier's active spirit would not let him rest. There was
adventure to be had on the seas, if not on the land,
and he determined to go to the West Indies and see
for himself the Spanish fountains of wealth. Little
cared he that the Spaniards had threatened every in-
truder with death. He was used to peril, and the
spirit of romance and enterprise was in his blood.
He spent two and a half years in the West Indies
and Mexico, visited Panama, and was far-sighted
enough to suggest the plan of a ship-canal across the
isthmus, which would vastly shorten the voyage to the
Pacific. More than three centuries have passed since
then and the canal proposed by Champlain is only now
being made.
All this but served to give Champlain a longing
for new adventure. In the north lay a vast wilder-
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IN AMERICA 199
ness of untravelled woods and unknown waters. New
France it was then called, and vain efforts to settle
it had been made. In 1603 our adventurer put to sea
again, as part of the company of two tiny vessels, one
of twelve and one of fifteen tons, which made their
way across the stormy Atlantic and entered the broad
waters of the St. Lawrence gulf. Thence sailing up
the river in the path of Cartier, they came at length
to the forest and mountain-marked site of Montreal.
Changes had taken place there since Cartier's visit.
The Indian town of Hochelaga had vanished, and only
a few wandering natives inhabited the region. Evi-
dently war, with its changes, had been busy in the
land.
Champlain, eager for discovery, pushed on up the
stream in an Indian canoe, but soon the surging
rapids of the St. Lawrence were reached, and after a
vain effort to pass them the adventurer returned ; yet
his soul was filled with desire to explore that great
chain of rivers and lakes which the Indians told him
stretched far away to the west, and much of whose
waters he was to traverse in later years. Returning
to France, he was quickly back again, and was one
of the most active of those who founded the first per-
manent French colony in the New World, that of
Port Royal in Acadia, or Nova Scotia, as it was
later called.
But we must go on to the year 1608, when our ex-
plorer made his second visit to the St. Lawrence,
this time as captain of a small French ship, the
" Honfleur." It was an epoch-making voyage, for it
was destined to establish the dominion of France on
the great Canadian river, in the picturesque settlement
since known as Quebec. Steep cliffs here overlooking
the river attracted the attention of the experienced
200 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
soldier. He recognized the situation as one that would
be easy to defend, and soon the axe-men were at
work among the forest trees and laborers were busy in
erecting buildings and surrounding them with pali-
sade and moat. Cannon were mounted, and the first
settlement and fort on the St. Lawrence was com-
pleted. It stood near where is now the market-place
of the lower town of Quebec.
Here, with twenty-eight men for a garrison, the
hardy soldier spent the bitter Canadian winter that
followed. They had the cruel experience of Cartier
and his men, the dread disease of scurvy breaking out
among them. By the middle of May only eight of the
twenty-eight remained alive. But their leader had
escaped the disease, and with the coming of spring,
and the arrival of a vessel with supplies and fresh
colonists, his active spirit was astir. There was a
vast unknown country to be explored. Who knew
but that the waters before him might prove that chan-
nel to the Pacific which had so often been vainly
sought? Champlain was not the man to be idle when
there were discoveries to be made and adventures to be
achieved, and the year 1609 was not far advanced
when he was out upon the most memorable enterprise
of his life, that which led to the discovery of Lake
Champlain.
This discovery was made in a way that appealed
alike to the instincts of the explorer and the soldier.
It was reached through the pathway of war. To the
south dwelt a great race of warlike savages, the lords
of the wilderness, the ruling tribes in all the north-
eastern region of the country. They had long been
the terror of all the dwellers on the St. Lawrence,
the tribes of the Hurons and Algonquins, with whom
they w^ere constantly at war.
IN AMERICA 20I
A young chief who visited Quebec and saw with
amazement the works and the arms of the whites, was
quick to perceive what splendid alHes these men would
prove in their war with the terrible Iroquois, and he
begged Champlain to join him in the spring in a
campaign against the enemies of his people. Cham-
plain readily consented. This was an enterprise of
the kind he loved. And it would aid him in the work
of discovery which he had in mind.
The month of May was well advanced before the
warriors whom Champlain had agreed to join in their
warlike raid made their appearance at Quebec. After
some delay, given up to feasting and war-dances, the
party at length set out, twelve white men in all, and
with them a horde of painted and savage allies, hideous
in their war array. The whites were in a small shal-
lop, the Indians in a multitude of canoes, which hun-
dreds of sturdy arms forced upward against the swift
current. They crossed the Lake of St. Peter and in
time reached the mouth of the stream now known as
the Richelieu, or the St. John, leading southward
to the forest-girdled lake they sought. Here the war-
riors encamped for two days, fishing, hunting, and
feasting, their halt ending in a quarrel which led to
three-fourths of the party taking to their canoes and
paddling off home, leaving the remainder to proceed
against their formidable foes.
Soon, in the warm air of June, the warriors were
afloat again, gliding up-stream between living walls
of green, the shallop soon leaving the canoes behind
and passing onward until in the distance was hear3 the
gurgling sound of rushing waters, while through the
clustering leaves the gleam of flashing foam appeared.
The sound was most unwelcome to Champlain. The
Indians had lied in telling him that he would find an
202 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
open channel for his boat. Leaving it in charge of
four men, he took to the woods with the others and
pushed his way up-stream through the damp and dense
forest. The surging roar of rapids attended them.
Through the leaves they saw that rocks were thick in
the channel, with the water boiling under and plung-
ing over them in impassable fury.
Disappointed and angry, the French leader returned.
His allies had deceived him. The shallop could not
go on. Yet he had no thought of turning back while
before him lay that unseen lake, with its many islands
and its forest borders, which the Indians had traced
for him in outline. There was fame in its discovery;
there was adventure in fighting the forest warriors ;
he resolved to go on. Two of his men volunteered to
go with him and the others were sent back with the
boat.
Soon the savage horde was traversing the forest
shades, their canoes on their heads, until the rapids
were passed and smooth water once more appeared.
Then they embarked again, sixty warriors in all, the
French allies finding places in the canoes. For miles
and miles they followed the St. John, past marsh and
meadow, island and woodland, all well filled with
game, stopping as night approached. Selecting a suit-
able spot, they formed a barricaded camp, for they were
now on the battle-ground of the tribes, and caution was
needed. Feasting on the food brought in by the hun-
ters, the warriors threw themselves on the ground to
sleep, taking no precaution to guard their camp other
than to send out scouts to trace the neighboring forest
for hostile signs. This was the custom of the forest
warriors, who never troubled themselves to place sen-
tinels.
Day broke over the forest again, and once more the
IN AMERICA 203
fleet of canoes was set afloat, the river widening, and
great islands appearing as they went on. Broad
reaches of water spread before them, and the day had
made no great progress when Champlain's eyes beheld
with delight the widening waters of the splendid lake
which bears his name. It apeared to him like a sea
in the wilderness, stretching far onward beyond the
limit of vision, and widening until its green-walled
shores lay far away to right and left. Mountain-
ranges closed it in — the lofty ridges of the Green
Mountains to the east, with patches of snow still on
their peaks ; the Adirondacks to the west, then as now
the favorite resort of the hunter.
At night they encamped again, and from this time
moved only by night, resting in the forest during the
day. They were now in the land of their foes, and
strict precaution was needed. Thus their progress
continued until the night of the 29th of July. They
were now approaching that promontory of rock on
which Fort Ticonderoga was afterwards built, and be-
yond which stretches away the island-studded waters
of beautiful Lake George. This was their goal if no
enemy was sooner seen, but they were not destined to
reach it, for about ten o'clock at night they saw a
fleet of canoes on the waters before them.
It was a band of the Iroquois. These alert warriors
at once recognized the newcomers for foes, and
dashed to the shore, where, with fierce war cries, they
hastily began to fortify themselves. The allies re-
mained on the lake, fastening their canoes together
with poles, and answering the yells of their foes with
as wild and fierce cries of defiance, while the two par-
ties hurled back shouts of abuse and menace at each
other till daylight drew near.
Champlain and his two men now put on their ar-
204 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
mor and prepared their arquebuses, the predecessor of
the modern musket, for the coming fight, then lay
down in the bottom of their canoes, or covered them-
selves with Indian robes, that the enemy might not
see them. As they reached shore and landed the
Iroquois left their barricade. Tall, strong men they
were, some two hundred in number, far outnumbering
their enemies. The latter, anxious at this display in
force, called loudly for their champion, and Cham-
plain came forward through their opening ranks, and
for the first time was revealed to the astounded Iro-
quois. Never had they seen a white man before, and
as this apparition burst upon their gaze, clad in shin-
ing armor and carrying strange weapons, they looked
on him in stupefied amazement.
His arquebuse was levelled ; its report was deafen-
ing to their unaccustomed ears ; a chief fell dead ; the
allies yelled and sent out a flight of arrows. The
Iroquois, with trembling hands and scared hearts, sent
back their shafts, but when new shots came from the
flanks of the foe and new warriors fell, panic terror
overcame them, and they broke and fled as if from
demon foes.
Everything was abandoned, their weapons being
flung down in their wild haste ; while the Hurons
hotly pursued, killing them at will or bringing them
back as captives. It was one of the most complete vic-
tories ever won in the American forests. The blow
had been struck, the dreaded Iroquois defeated; the
victors hastened back with their captives and spoil,
and before many days Champlain was again in Que-
bec, with the story of his exploit and his discovery.
The exploit was one for which the French were to pay
dear in the time to come. It aroused against them
the hatred of the valiant Iroquois, and in later years
IN AMERICA 205
the disgrace of that defeat was wiped out in torrents
of French blood.
For many years afterwards Champlain made the de-
velopment of the settlement of Quebec his constant
care, returning almost annually to France in the in-
terest of his colony, but seeking the St. Lawrence
again with the coming spring and doing his utmost for
its advancement. The difficulties before him were im-
mense, and only his indomitable energy and persist-
ence enabled him to succeed. Twenty years after the
first settlement Quebec contained only about one hun-
dred and five persons, of whom no more than one or
two families supported themselves by farming, the rest
living on supplies from France. The precarious
chances of fur trading had stood in the way of settled
industry.
In 1628 it seemed as if the dominion of the French
in New France was to pass away forever. An Eng-
lish expedition led by David Kirk, a French Huguenot,
entered the St. Lawrence, captured the supply ships
coming to the aid of the colonists, and in the following
year forced Champlain and the few defenders of Que-
bec to yield it to English hands. Soon after a treaty of
peace was made between England and France, in which
it was agreed that New France should be restored to
its old owners, but five years passed before this was
done, and it was not until 1633 that the keys of the
citadel were given back into the hands of Champlain.
Two years later death came to close the career of this
greatest of the pioneers of France in America, the
romantic and adventurous explorer who did so much
to widen the knowledge of this section of the New
World.
We have so far related but one of his daring ex-
ploits. A very brief description of the remainder must
2o6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
suffice. In 1613, three years after his adventure on
Lake Champlain, he set out with five companions in
two small canoes for an excursion up the Ottawa
River. Starting from Montreal, they made their way
for many miles through the virgin wilderness of the
north, most of it unbroken forest, making long
portages past rapids and cataracts, and through
almost impassable tracts of evergreen woodland, pad-
dling up long stretches of placid waters, until the
villages of the Ottawa Indians were reached, on that
broad expansion of the stream now known as Lake
Coulange. Tedious and dangerous had been the jour-
ney, but the daring explorer was not yet content. He
had been made to believe that he was on the way to
a great sea, and his mind was filled with visions of
accomplishing the great feat so often attempted, and
reaching the treasure-laden shores of China, India,
and the spice islands. Only when his dusky hosts, with
much difficulty, taught him that he had been deceived,
and that no such sea lay ahead, did he consent to
return.
Two years later he was ofif again, now on his great-
est journey of discovery. There was war as well as
exploration in his mind. He had agreed to join the
Hurons and their allies in a bold invasion of the Iro-
quois country, and, not finding them where he ex-
pected, at Montreal, he set off once more up the Ot-
tawa. This time he passed Lake Coulange and con-
tinued upward, finally leaving the Ottawa for the lit-
tle Matawan, which he ascended for about forty miles.
Here a portage track was reached, and the canoes were
carried through the forest till the small expedition,
consisting of ten Indians and three Frenchmen, stood
on the borders of Lake Nipissing.
Past the leafy shores and verdant isles of this for-
IN AMERICA 207
est-girdled lake and down the swift current of French
River they went, paddHng onward day after day
through an unbroken soHtude, until their food was
consumed and they had but wild woodland berries to
eat. At length the day came when they suddenly saw
before them a band of three hundred Indians, and
learned that the great lake of the Hurons was at hand.
Soon the " Mer Douce," the great fresh-water sea
they sought, came into view, and before them, as far
as eye could see, spread the vast expanse of Lake
Huron, stretching for hundreds of miles away.
Launching their canoes upon the waters of Georgian
Bay, its great inlet, they coursed along the eastern
shore for more than a hundred miles, then left it to
follow an Indian trail inland, till they came to an open
country with broad fields of maize, and in its midst
the Huron town of Otouacha, the principal settlement
of the Huron nation, which here occupied an area of
sixty or seventy miles.
Here, after days of feasting and carousing, a pow-
erful war party was gathered and set out, following
a succession of rivers and lakes to the river Trent,
which led them to another of America's chain of in-
land seas. Lake Ontario. With this ended the series
of Champlain's great discoveries, which had included
the great lakes Huron, Ontario, and Champlain, and
a host of rivers and lakes of interior Canada, to which
his indefatigable thirst for adventure had led him.
The present expedition ended in a crossing of the
lake, an invasion of the Iroquois country, and an at-
tack on a fortified town of the tribe of the Senecas,
near one of the lakes of central New York. It ended
differently from Champlain's previous contests with
this people. While they defended themselves bravely,
the Huron warriors were uncontrollable, being deaf
2o8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
to all commands, and exposing themselves wildly in
the open field to the arrows of their foes. Order could
not be restored among them, and Champlain, wounded
by two arrows, was disabled. In the end, their ex-
pected allies not coming, they retreated in disorder,
followed by their triumphant foes, and finally suc-
ceeded in reaching the dwellings of their tribe.
Champlain was obliged to spend the winter with
the Hurons, returning by way of the Ottawa in the
following spring. This was the last of his expedi-
tions. During the remainder of his life he was kept
busy in the difficult task of sustaining his colony at
Quebec, and finally, when success began to dawn
brightly before him, death suddenly carried him
away. Thus lived and died the heroic pioneer of
French Canada.
IN AMERICA 209
JAMES MARQUETTE, THE FIRST EX-
PLORER OF THE MISSISSIPPI
The years that followed the death of Champlain,
France's pioneer discoverer, were years of wonderful
activity among the French adventurers in the New
World. Two classes of men, with two purposes in
view, were unceasingly active in the work of explora-
tion. One of these was the Jesuit priests, who faced
the greatest perils and hardships, and some of whom
endured the most terrible tortures, in their efforts to
carry the truths of Christianity to the savage tribes.
The other was the hunters and trappers, who widely
traversed the wilds in search of furs. In all direc-
tions they spread, up countless streams, over multi-
tudes of lakes, traversing broad new regions, making
their way farther and farther into the interior, with a
persistence and intrepidity rarely equalled in human
history.
Champlain had traversed the w.cers of Lakes Huron
and Ontario. Jean Nicolet, in 1634, was the first to
gaze on Lake Michigan. Fathers Chamonot and Bre-
beuf stood on the shores of Lake Erie in 1640, and
Lake Superior was reached by some forgotten wood-
rangers in 1659. Niccolas Perrot, a daring pioneer
whose adventures were thrilling, was the first to stand
on the site of Chicago ; Father Abanal, crossing the
northern wilds, came to the chill waters of Hudson
Bay in 1671 ; and Father Hennepin, gazing through
the dense forest leafage in 1678, looked with wonder
and awe upon the stupendous cataract of Niagara.
14
2IO HEROES OF DISCOVERY
While not the first to see, he was first to describe, this
inimitable wonder of nature.
Father Claude Alloiiez, in 1665, passed by river and
lake to Superior's inland sea, built a chapel on its
southern shores, and founded the mission of the Holy
Spirit, around which he gathered representatives of
far-away tribes and taught them the principles of
peace and mercy. Among them came warriors from
the prairie-dwelling Sioux, the buffalo-hunters of the
far west, and from the tribe of the Illinois, who told
the story of a noble river which ran through their coun-
try, flowing far to the south. The Sioux also dwelt
on this mighty stream, to which they gave the name of
Messipi.
The tidings of some new marvel of nature to be
discovered seems always to have roused the adven-
turous spirit of the French. As fresh stories of the
great river came to their ears a strong desire to trav-
erse its waters arose, especially in the mind of James
Marquette, a missionary priest, who came from France
about 1668 and founded the mission of St. Mary at
the Sault Ste. Marie. He proposed to explore this
magnificent river, of vvhich the natives spoke in such
glowing strains, as early as 1669, but his labors among
the tribes obliged him to defer this enterprise until
1673.
Whither the wonderful stream ran no one knew. It
might flow due south to the Gulf of Mexico. It might
turn to the west and form the often sought channel
to the waters of the Pacific. At any rate its explora-
tion was a noble enterprise, worthy the utmost daring
of the sons of France. Some Indians, who heard the
bold purpose of Father Marquette, sought to dissuade
him with stories of the warlike natives who dwelt upon
the great river, the devouring monsters that swam in
IN AMERICA 211
its waters, and the terrible heat of its lower course.
But the worthy priest was not to be checked. He re-
plied to their remonstrances, " I shall gladly lay down
my life for the salvation of souls."
His chosen companion was a forester of experience
from Quebec, named Joliet. Ascending the Fox River
from Green Bay, Lake Michigan, on the loth of June,
1673, the two canoes of the expedition were lifted from
its waters and carried across a narrow portage to the
Wisconsin, upon whose surface they were launched.
Here their Indian guides left them, and the daring
voyagers, with five of their countrymen as their sole
companions, trusted themselves in their frail birch-bark
canoes to these unknown waters.
Down the Wisconsin River they floated in utter
solitude day after day, neither man nor beast appear-
ing on its leafy shores, the ripple of the waters below
their canoes and the lowing of distant buffaloes being
nearly the only sounds that met their ears. Seven days
of this solitary journey, then with joy they beheld the
mighty flood they sought pouring swiftly past, and
were soon afloat on its broad bosom, the first of white
men to behold its waters in their upper course.
Launched upon the smooth current of the Father
of Waters, they floated by green islets, between park-
like borders, past shallow reaches, the resort of water-
fowl in vast multitudes, but beheld no trace of man
until they had gone nearly two hundred miles be-
low the mouth of the Wisconsin. Then, on the
sandy beach, the tracks of footsteps were seen. A
little path led inward, opening into a beautiful prairie.
Leaving their companions in the canoes, Marquette
and Joliet followed the path. What awaited them,
how they would be received by the savages of this new
region, they could not surmise, but they went stead-
212 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
ily forward, one with the meek devotion of the priest,
the other with the bold daring of the forester.
A six-mile walk brought them to a village on a
river bank, with two other villages visible in the near
distance. Uttering a loud cry of warning, they walked
on. The startled inhabitants sprang out and gazed
upon them with wonder. The tidings of the white
men of the East had come to their ears, but these were
the first to meet their eyes. Evidently there was no
hostility in their hearts. Four old men came forward
with the peace-pipe, and offered it with the words,
" We are Illinois," equivalent to, " We are men."
" How beautiful is the sun when thou comest to
visit us," said an aged priest, to whose cabin they were
led. " We greet thee with friendship ; thou shalt
enter our dwellings in peace."
For six days the visitors remained with these
friendly hosts, Marquette telling the natives the story
of the one true God, and asking them about the great
river and the tribes along its banks, Joliet told them
of the power of the French and how they had chas-
tised the all-conquering Iroquois, welcome news which
the villagers celebrated by joyful ceremonies and a
banquet of hominy and fish and the choicest game the
prairie afforded. When at length they took their
leave hundreds of warriors went with them to their
canoes, and the principal chief hung around the neck
of Marquette a peace-pipe ornamented with the heads
and feathers of brilliant birds. This was the sacred
calumet of the Indians, the symbol of peace, a safe-
guard against warlike tribes.
As yet success had attended them, and they went
joyfully onward. For many leagues the canoes glided
down the broad current, now passing a range of per-
pendicular rocks, which took on the shapes of mon-
IN AMERICA 213
sters to the eyes of the travellers, now reaching that
notable point where the murky waters of the Missouri
pour impetuously into the clearer and calmer Missis-
sippi, — a mighty stream which Marquette hoped some
day to ascend in search of the western sea.
Somewhat more than a hundred liquid miles were
left behind them when the waters of another great
stream were reached, now coming from the east. This
was the Wabash, as then known, the Ohio of our day.
The Shawnees, a peaceful tribe, had their villages
along its banks, far from the lakes of New York, yet
not too far to be safe from the attacks of the terror-
inspiring Iroquois.
The explorers had now journeyed hundreds of miles
southward and marked changes in climate and sur-
roundings began to appear. The thickets of strong
canes bordering the stream became so close and dense
as to defy even the powerful buffalo ; the assaults of
mosquitos and other annoying insects were almost
unbearable ; the sun poured down its rays in such in-
tensity that the sails of the canoes had to be converted
into awnings ; forests of great and lofty trees replaced
the open prairies they so long had traversed ; they
were in a new realm of nature, with fresh scenes
and marvels for their eyes.
The shores of Missouri were left behind. The river
border of Arkansas was traversed. At length they
reached a point not far north of the southern boun-
dary of the present State of Arkansas, and now for
the first time signs of hostility met their eyes. A
crowd of armed warriors sprang into their canoes,
made of the trunks of hollowed-out trees, and pad-
dled towards them with frightful yells. For the mo-
ment death threatened the voyagers ; but when Mar-
quette held up the peace-pipe there was a sudden
214 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
change. The warriors threw down their weapons,
changed their war-whoops into shouts of welcome, and
escorted the visitors, whom they had taken as a party
of their hereditary enemies, gladly to the shore.
The voyagers were now near the end of their jour-
ney. After a hospitable reception by their new hosts,
they were escorted down the stream the next day by a
party of these to the village of Arkansea, some eight
or ten leagues farther. Half a league above the place
they were met by some of its people, in two boats,
their chief singing and holding up the pipe of peace,
to which Marquette responded by displaying his calu-
met.
The travellers had now reached a point below the
mouth of the Arkansas and were among tribes whose
languages they could not understand. They were
below the region of wintry chill and the lands of the
fur trade, buffalo skins being here the tribal treasures.
But what the visitors were principally interested in was
the fact that these people had steel axes, evidence that
they had traffic with the Spaniards of the south, or
mayhap with the English of Virginia. Convinced at
length that the river they were on turned not to the
east or the west, but was that great stream which De
Soto had discovered and which had its outlet in the
Gulf of Mexico, Marquette and his associate decided
that it was needless for them to go farther, and on the
17th of July, thirty-seven days after they had left the
waters of Fox River, they bade farewell to their hos-
pitable hosts and turned their prows up stream.
The journey was now one of steady effort. The
former easy yielding to the current was now replaced
by a vigorous battle against its force. But strong arms
sent the canoes upward until, some distance above the
outlet of the Missouri, they reached the mouth of a
IN AMERICA 215
fine stream from the east, the Illinois. Entering this
stream in preference to returning to the Wisconsin,
they made their way through a level and splendid
country, the fertile prairie region of Illinois. Its
tribes were friendly and hospitable, and begged the
good priest to return and dwell among them. One of
their chiefs guided the explorers to Lake Michigan
at the site of Chicago. From here they went north-
ward up the lake, reaching their starting-point at
Green Bay in September, 1674.
A few words will suffice to complete the story of
these discoverers. Joliet went east to Quebec to tell
the governor of their exploit, and with this he passes
out of history. Marquette, whose health had grown
feeble, returned to the Illinois in 1675, and there gath-
ered all its people, several thousand in number,
preached to them, and founded among them the Mis-
sion of the Immaculate Conception. Then, feeling that
his life was nearing its end, he went by way of Chi-
cago to Mackinaw, and here, left at his own desire
alone on the banks of a little stream, the good priest
breathed his last. On the highest bank of the stream,
which bears his name, the canoe-men dug his grave
in the sand. Thus passed away one of the most ar-
dent in good work and most famous as a discoverer
of the many earnest and devoted missionaries of New
France.
In 1680, three years after the death of Marquette,
a second priestly explorer helped to complete the
knowledge of the great river. This was Louis Henne-
pin, a Franciscan monk, who formed one of the at-
tendants of Robert de La Salle, the famous explorer
with whom we have next to deal. As a preliminary to
his own descent of the Mississippi, La Salle sent
Hennepin to visit its upper reaches, from the mouth of
2i6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the Illinois northward. Bearing the calumet in token of
his peaceful mission, and invoking the aid of St. An-
thony upon his enterprise, Hennepin and his two com-
panions made their way down the Illinois and up the
Mississippi, passing the Wisconsin, from the waters
of which Marquette had embarked on the flood. Being
taken prisoner by the Sioux Indians, they were carried
to and beyond the great falls of the river, which, in
honor of the chosen patron of the enterprise, they
named the Falls of St. Anthony.
On a tree near the falls Hennepin engraved a cross
and the arms of France. He and his companions made
journeys of exploration in the surrounding country.
On their return they ascended the Wisconsin, crossed
to the Fox River, and completed their journey at the
French mission-settlement on Green Bay. The ex-
ploration of the Mississippi had thus been completed
from the Falls of St. Anthony to the mouth of the
Arkansas River.
5
o
11
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c
2
2
2
IN AMERICA 217
ROBERT DE LA SALLE AND THE FATHER
OF WATERS
The French of Canada had traversed in Indian ca-
noes the chain of great lakes from the St. Lawrence
to the western shores of Lake Superior. They had
floated in birch-bark canoes down the mighty river
of the west from the land of winter to that of summer.
It remained to trace this vast stream, the " Father of
Waters" of the Indians, through its whole length, and
the man for that work was ready in Robert Cavelier,
Sieur de La Salle, the greatest of all the pioneer ex-
plorers of France. The story of his life would need
a book to tell it in full. We can give it here only
in mere outline.
Born at Rouen, France, in 1643, La Salle sought his
fortune in Canada in 1667, engaging in the fur trade,
a vocation which took him far into the woods and
wilds. Full of youthful enterprise and more ardent
for discovery than for wealth, he explored Lake On-
tario and made his way to Lake Erie, no doubt pass-
ing that wonderful abyss into which the Niagara pours
its waters in the most sublime of cataracts. In his
woodland journeys he is said to have gone as far as
the Ohio, being the first of white men to behold that
noble stream, the possession of which in later times
was to lead to years of war between England and
France.
After spending a number of years in this work, the
enterprise of La Salle was rewarded by his being
made a noble of France and put in command of Fort
Frontenac, at the head of Lake Superior, where the
2i8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
city of Kingston now stands. This gave him dominion
over a wide territory and full control of the trade
with the Iroquois tribes, and he might have made him-
self one of the money kings of New France had not
a new and nobler ambition developed in his soul.
Joliet, the forester, on his way east from his voyage
down the Mississippi, stopped at Fort Frontenac and
told its governor the story of his adventures upon that
vast stream. La Salle was familiar also with the nar-
rative of De Soto and his discoveries upon its lower
waters, and the desire was born in him to explore this
wonderful stream to its mouth, raise there the banner
of France, and add a new and noble province to the
colonial domain of his mother-land.
Full of ambitious plans, he went to France, where
he won the support of the king and his ministers, and
on his return to Frontenac in 1678 it was with sailors
and mechanics, merchandise for trade, and materials
for ship-building. As an aid to his enterprise he had
also been given the sole right to trade in buffalo robes.
We cannot tell how broad and brilliant were the vis-
ions which filled his imagination, what imperial pro-
jects he devised, what ardent hopes inspired him,
but doubtless he saw spread before him the oppor-
tunity for a mighty empire, covering the immense ter-
ritory between the St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Mex-
ico, linked by great lakes and streams easily traversed
throughout their vast extent, and tied together by an
extended chain of thriving settlements. What glow-
ing visions of this nature arose in his mind we do
not know, but what he did fills a broad page in the
history of human enterprise.
La Salle had brought with him an Italian named
Tonti, who was for years his faithful lieutenant and
trusted comrade. He had also with him Father Hen-
IN AMERICA 219
nepin, the priest spoken of in the preceding tale.
Sending these out to win the friendship of the neigh-
boring tribes, he set his ship-builders at work on the
Niagara River, and in 1679 launched the first vessel
ever seen on the lakes, the " Griffin," a bark of sixty
tons, on which the natives gazed with deep astonish-
ment and its builder with aspiring hope. On the 7th
of August its sails were spread to the winds and it
glided away over the waters of Lake Erie with its
complement of fur traders and explorers, the enter-
prising La Salle at their head.
The green isles of the Detroit were passed. Lake St.
Clair was traversed and named, the mariners were
tossed by storms on the broad Huron, and anchor was
finally cast in Green Bay, on Lake Michigan. Here
the adventurers landed, freighted the bark richly with
the buflfalo robes obtained from the natives, and sent
it back to find a market and bring supplies. And here
came one of La Salle's greatest misfortunes. The
" Griffin" never reached harbor. It probably went
down with its rich lading of furs in the storm-haunted
lakes.
After a period of weary waiting for his vanished
bark. La Salle made his way by streams and swampy
portages to the Illinois River, and in Indian villages
on its shores the winter was passed. It was a weary
and discouraging winter. Discontent and dread filled
the hearts of the men, and despondency affected the
active spirit of the leader, and when in the spring he
built a fort on the stream, he named it Crevecoeur, or
break-heart fort.
Still no tidings of the " Griffin" reached him. The
nearest French settlement lay many hundred miles
away. Food and supplies were failing; the Indian
tribes around him were not to be trusted. At Quebec
220 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
were envious foes seeking to wreck his enterprise ;
the way before him was dark. Men of ordinary cali-
bre would have despaired and abandoned the enter-
prise under these discouraging circumstances, but the
resolution of La Salle was all enduring, and misfor-
tune only nerved him to greater efforts.
Leaving Tonti to fortify a lofty cliff in the vicinity,
and sending Hennepin to explore the upper Missis-
sippi, he set out himself on foot on the great journey to
Montreal, a thousand miles away. With four French
companions and an Indian guide the daring adven-
turer trudged on, day after day, through forest and
plain, now wading across fields of melting snow, now
crossing streams on cakes of floating ice or stopping
to build a bark canoe, meeting difficulties and endur-
ing hardships which broke down all the party except
the indefatigable leader. When Lake Erie was reached
they were all sick except La Salle, and he had to take
them across in a canoe. At Niagara he heard the dis-
heartening news that a store-ship from France, sent
him with fifty thousand livres worth of supplies, had
been wrecked in the St, Lawrence and all its cargo
lost. Yet with unflagging energy he went on, until
Montreal was reached and his thousand miles of wil-
derness journey was completed.
Collecting men and supplies he made his way back
in canoes, but ill fortune dogged his footsteps still.
At Fort Frontenac word reached him that the garri-
son at Crevecoeur had mutinied, pulled down the fort,
and made their way to Lake Michigan, leaving only
the faithful Tonti and a few followers. They were
now cruising in canoes on Lake Ontario proposing to
finish their work of mutiny by murdering him. They
fell into their own trap, La Salle capturing them and
sending them in chains to Montreal.
IN AMERICA 221
He now made his way to the site of the future Chi-
cago and had his heavily laden canoes dragged over the
icy surface of Chicago River and the snowy waste lead-
ing to the Illinois, proposing to rescue Tonti and re-
build the fort. Tonti was not there. During the sum-
mer of 1680 a war party of Iroquois had attacked the
tribe of the Illinois, and Tonti and his men had been
forced to flee, making their way to Green Bay on Lake
Michigan. In May, 1681, La Salle returned for sup-
plies to Montreal, meeting his friend Tonti on the
way and paddling with him the length of the lakes.
This caused another year of delay, and it was not
until the early months of 1682 that La Salle and his
company were able to set out on the final journey in
their canoes and a barge which he had constructed on
the Illinois. Reaching the mouth of this river, on the
1 8th of February, the adventurers entrusted them-
selves to the broad current of the greater stream, and
began their long journey downward.
Like Marquette and his comrade. La Salle soon
reached the locality where the turbid Missouri pours
its yellow flood into the clearer waters of the Missis-
sippi. Thence the mouth of the Ohio was soon
reached, and the expedition stopped here for ten days
to hunt and collect food-supplies, the natives telling
them that they would find no good hunting-grounds
for many miles below. Finally the vicinity of the
Arkansas, where Marquette's journey had ended, was
reached, and, as before, the Indians here showed signs
of hostility, which quickly changed to amity when
the pipe of peace was displayed.
For two weeks La Salle and his men remained with
these friendly Indians, dwelling in their villages, and
being treated with warm hospitality and regaled with
all the luxuries their hosts possessed. On leaving he
222 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
took possession of the country in the name of his king
with impressive ceremonies, the natives looking on
with interest and delight, not dreaming, in their sim-
ple souls, that the soil on which they and their an-
cestors had dwelt for ages was being claimed as the
property of a king who as yet did not even know that
such a country or such a community existed.
On the 17th of March the canoes were launched
again, and now entered upon waters never before trav-
ersed by white explorers. A few days of travel in
this unknown region brought the voyagers to a lake-
like expansion of the stream, the banks of which were
far more densely inhabited than any place they had
yet seen. No fewer than seventy-four villages were
counted on its opposite shores, the houses being well
built and comfortably furnished, and presenting a very
different appearance from the wigwams of the north-
ern tribes. This populous settlement was under a
kingly ruler, whose power was far greater than that
of the chiefs of the north. They were a frank and
genial race, who lived largely by tilling the ground,
and had fruit-trees of various kinds. For several
days the explorers stayed with this friendly people,
who did their best to make them welcome, though all
their intercourse was conducted in the language of
signs, no word being understood.
A man of kindly disposition, engaging in his man-
ners, and treating the natives in a wise spirit of friend-
liness, La Salle was received by the inhabitants of this
locality in a very different spirit from that which De
Soto had aroused by his harshness and cruelty. But
the journey was not to be solely peaceful, a tribe of
fiercely hostile natives being met with lower down
the stream. Here a long island divided the river, and
as they floated down the narrow channel they were
IN AMERICA 223
startled by war-whoops and the fierce beating of
drums, a throng of warHke warriors appeared, and a
flight of arrows greeted their every attempt at friendly
intercourse. For the first time the sacred calumet, the
pipe of peace, proved of no avail, and the voyagers
were obliged to row to the opposite bank and trust
themselves to the swift current and the vigorous use
of their oars and paddles, La Salle bidding them not
to fire, as that could do no good. The warriors ran
down the stream, still sending their arrows in showers,
but by good fortune no member of the party received
a wound.
They had no further experience of this kind. A
few days more and they floated past the site where the
city of New Orleans now stands, on waters before
traversed only by the wretched remnant of De Soto's
proud train of Indian canoes, but now crowded with
the busy fleets of commerce. Not far below this point
the head of the delta was reached, and here the small
fleet of canoes was divided into three sections, each
following one of the principal branches of the river.
Soon they found the water growing salty in taste and
the current becoming slow, and a few days more
brought them into the open waters of the Gulf.
The great journey was completed. The mighty
river had been traversed from the Falls of St. An-
thony, well up towards its sources, to the outlet of
its waters into the Mexican Gulf, and the mystery
which had brooded over it for nigh on to two centuries
was at an end. La Salle had won for himself im-
perishable fame, and the name of the Mississippi has
since been associated with those of its two daring dis-
coverers, Hernando de Soto and Robert de la Salle.
Ascending the west branch till solid ground was
reached, La Salle planted a massive column engraved
224 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
with the arms of France, and beside it a great cross,
while at its foot he buried a leaden plate with a Latin
inscription telling of the exploit and bearing the date
of April 9, 1682. The whole country was claimed for
France, with the valley of the Mississippi and the many
rivers flowing into it, the vast territory being named
Louisiana, in honor of Louis XIV., then on the throne
of France. This done, the voyagers retraced their
course up the stream with few incidents except a se-
vere battle with the hostile tribe which had assailed
them so virulently during their descent.
La Salle had won success in the face of the deepest
discouragement. The remainder of his life was to be
largely a record of misfortune, followed by a violent
death. Seeking France in 1683 and telling there the
story of his discovery and of the splendid opportunity
of planting a colonial empire for France on the fertile
banks of a great river and in a climate of unceasing
summer, he was heard with delight and hope, and in
July of 1684 the port of La Rochelle saw the sailing
of a small fleet, bearing two hundred and eighty per-
sons and abundant stores and supplies for the purpose
of colonizing Louisiana.
Disaster hovered over the enterprise from the start.
The colonists were not the sort of people to found a
successful colony, being composed of undisciplined
soldiers, ill-trained mechanics, gentlemen volunteers,
and worst of all a naval commander who managed to
wreck the whole business by his pride and lack of
sense.
From the start there were disputes between La
Salle and Beaujeau, the naval commander, the latter
always wrong, but too obstinate to be moved. On
January 10, 1685, they reached the locality of the
mouth of the Mississippi, but the fleet passed it, and
IN AMERICA 225
Beaujeau refused to return. Finally a bay on the coast
of Texas was reached, and La Salle, as nothing could
be done with the self-willed commander of the fleet,
resolved to land. Now came the greatest misfortune
of all. The store-ship, abundantly laden with supplies
of all kinds for the colonists, was wrecked by the care-
lessness of its pilot and dashed to pieces by a gale of
wind, the great bulk of its stores being lost. Dis-
couraged and disheartened, a number of the men de-
serted to the fleet, which soon sailed away, leaving a
wretched company of about two hundred and thirty
gathered in a fort hastily erected from the fragments
of the wrecked ship. Rarely had the work of coloni-
zation been started under such discouraging circum-
stances.
La Salle was nearly the only man among them with
courage and resolution. He had a place of shelter built
in a fertile spot abounding in game and beside waters
filled with fish. Arms had been saved from the wreck,
and by their aid the colonists were able to provide
themselves with food. The stronghold finished, the
energy of La Salle led him in other directions. He set
out in canoes to seek the Mississippi, but after an ab-
sence of four months and the loss of a dozen men he
returned in rags, the victim of ill fortune. No trace
of the river had been found. Then, with twenty com-
panions, he set out on a journey of discovery towards
New Mexico, hoping to find the rich mines which the
Spaniards said lay in that region. From this journey
he returned with no prizes except a few horses and
some corn and beans.
But nothing could discourage La Salle. The col-
onists had suffered from sickness and Indian attacks
until only some forty remained alive. Determined to
try and save this feeble remnant of his colony, La Salle
15
226 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
now formed the stupendous plan of travelling overland
from the coast of Texas to Montreal, there to obtain
aid for the slender company left. Taking with him
sixteen men, and leaving the others to garrison the
fort, he set out on foot for far distant Canada, taking
the horses he had brought from the west to carry the
needed baggage and supplies.
Dressed in the skins of animals, wearing shoes made
of green buffalo hides, and otherwise illy provided for
their great task, the party followed the streams leading
northward to the hill country in which they rose. The
start was made in January, 1687. By mid-March they
had passed the basin of the Colorado and were on a
branch of the Trinity River. Here came the tragedy
in which ended the career of the great explorer.
La Salle's misfortunes had affected his temper and
made him stern and harsh. In the party were men of
mutinous spirit who hated him for his sternness. Two
of these, named Duhaut and L'Archeveque, while on a
buffalo hunt with Moranget, a nephew of La Salle,
quarrelled with and murdered him. Wondering at the
delay in the return of his nephew, La Salle went in
search of him, and meeting with the mutineers. La
Salle asked Duhaut, "Where is my nephew?" For
answer Duhaut fired and La Salle fell dead.
" You are down now, grand bashaw ! you are down
now !" cried the murderer, and the two despoiled his
remains, leaving them naked on the prairie, to be de-
voured by wild beasts.
Thus, on the 20th of March, 1687, miserably per-
ished the most daring of French explorers, a man of
extraordinary resources and unyielding energy, the
greatest among the discoverers and explorers of the
Mississippi, and the father of colonization in its vast
valley.
IN AMERICA 227
A few words will complete this story of enterprise
and crime. The two murderers were themselves killed
in a quarrel with some of their associates in mutiny,
the latter then leaving the party to join a band of In-
dians. Only seven men were left, including the brother
and another nephew of the slain leader and Joutel, the
commander of the soldiers, to whom we owe the his-
tory of the enterprise. These obtained a guide to the
Arkansas, and finally reached a branch of the Missis-
sippi, on an island of which, to their joy, they beheld
a large cross. Near it was a log hut, in which were
found two Frenchmen, one of them being Tonti, La
Salle's former faithful companion, who had descended
thus far in search of his old friend.
The survivors of the party at length reached Que-
bec. As for those left in the Texas fort, the most of
them were killed by the Indians, a few being rescued
by Spaniards, who had been sent to drive the French
from soil claimed to belong to Spain. Such was the
fate of the first French colony in the South.
228 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
LEMOYNE D'IBERVILLE AND THE
FRENCH COLONY IN THE SOUTH
In 1685 La Salle had sought the mouth of the Mis-
sissippi in vain. Fourteen years later a more fortunate
explorer followed in his track, and succeeded in plant-
ing a successful colony on the borders of the Gulf.
This was Lemoyne d'Iberville, son of Charles Le
Moyne, a citizen of Quebec, and an active agent in the
effort to drive the English from Hudson Bay. His
son, Iberville, followed him in this work, but in 1698
transferred his energies to a new field, in the en-
deavor to succeed where La Salle had failed.
With his two brothers, Sauvolle and Bienville, and
a company of two hundred emigrants, chiefly men, but
a few of them women and children, Iberville set sail
from the port of Brest in October, 1698. The expedi-
tion made a hasty start, for colonial enterprise was
now active among the English, and they might at any
time seize upon this promising locality. There were
even reports that a colony of French Huguenots was
about to be sent there from England, and, to allay sus-
picion, Iberville gave out that he was bound for the
Amazon country.
On December 4 the ships put in to the Spanish port
of Cape Francois, in the island of San Domingo. A
man of genial character, Iberville won confidence and
affection wherever he went. The governor of San
Domingo received him with a warm welcome, and was
highly impressed with his judgment and ability.
Leaving San Domingo on New Year's Day of 1699,
the expedition sailed past Cuba, and made land on the
Gulf coast in the evening of the 23d, It was a sandy
IN AMERICA 229
coast, and the smoke of fires could be seen inland.
Three days later, as they cruised to the west with a
close eye on the land, the masts of vessels were seen
behind a sandy island and a sloop came out to observe
the strangers. They proved to be off the harbor of
Pensacola, which had just been settled by Spaniards
from Mexico, who as yet held out no welcome to for-
eign visitors. Iberville had no desire to disturb them
and kept on his course, being off Mobile Bay in foul
weather on the 31st, and ten days later seeking shelter
behind Ship Island, on the Gulf coast.
On the 27th of February Iberville set out with two
barges, following the coast westwardly. Three days
later he found himself among promising indications.
There were floating tree trunks and turbid waters,
fresh in taste, while the boats were soon struggling
against an out-setting current. Rowing upward, Iber-
ville quickly discovered that he was in the mouth of
a large river, closed in by a thick green wall of willows
and canebrakes. As he went on up its channel his
mind was disturbed by doubts as to its being the Mis-
sissippi, and he kept a keen lookout for traces of La
Salle's former presence. To make his own route sure,
he marked a tree with the cross at every landing place.
Fires were seen in the distance. Now and then In-
dians were met, but these paddled away swiftly in
their canoes. One day the display of trinkets enticed
a savage, and after that others came out, ready to
trade meat for shining toys. After some days the site
of the future city of New Orleans was reached, and
here Iberville was glad to find a portage leading
to a large body of water by which their ships might
quickly be reached. Farther up the stream lay the
country of the Bayagoulas, a friendly tribe, and they
were entertained by a chief who wore a serge cloak,
230 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
given him, as he made them understand, by a white
man, Hke themselves. This went far to dispel their
doubts, and Iberville for the first time felt sure that
he was indeed in the great stream he sought, and
which he had been the first to enter from the Gulf.
Farther on dwelt the tribe of the Houmas, and in
one of its villages a glass bottle was seen, a certain
evidence of intercourse with the whites. This village
contained about two hundred cabins, grouped around
a temple built of logs, palisades surrounding the whole.
From this point they continued their course upward,
piloted by Indian guides, and everywhere welcomed
and feasted by the natives. In some villages they were
entertained by singing and dancing girls. In return
they gave presents to their hosts. While assured
now that he was on the right stream, Iberville looked
for one more link of evidence. In 1686 Tonti had de-
scended the Mississippi to its mouth in the hope of
meeting his chief. Disappointed in this, but trusting
that La Salle might yet come, he wrote a letter which
he gave to an Indian chief near the river's mouth, tell-
ing him that he must give it to a Frenchman who
was likely to come up the stream. The story of this
paper had made its way among the tribes, and was
now told to Iberville. Hoping to find it, and by its
aid to dispel his last lingering doubt, he turned his
boats, and soon was swiftly gliding down the stream
which had been ascended with such labor.
On reaching the vicinity of the site of New Or-
leans, Iberville left the stream and crossed with two
canoes to the body of water he had found on his way
up, now known as Lake Pontchartrain, hoping to find
the Gulf and his ships by this route. His brother,
Bienville, continued downward with the barges, ask-
ing all the natives he met about the letter. By the
IN AMERICA 231
promise of a hatchet it was at length brought forward
by the old chief who had kept it, and after fourteen
years fell into the hands of a countryman of him to
whom it was addressed. The reading of it settled all
doubts. They were, indeed, on the stream they had
sought. Bienville reached the ships shortly after his
brother, bringing the evidence that removed their final
doubt.
The river found, it remained to establish the colony
and send the ships back to France. The place selected
for the settlement seemed by no means a desirable one,
being a sandy peninsula at the entrance to a bay. Here
was no fertile soil on which to raise food for the col-
ony, but of this little was thought. Some Spanish de-
serters had told them of mines to the west, and the
fatal gold fever had attacked them. They expected
to be fed from home and then pay their way with gold.
Landing the supplies and arms brought for the col-
onists, Iberville prepared to depart with the ships, leav-
ing his brother Sauvolle in command. Under him was
the youthful Bienville, a boy of eighteen, yet with
courage and ability that was to stand him in good
stead during many years of struggle and trial in Louis-
iana. The settlement, numbering ninety souls in all,
was named Biloxi, after a neighboring tribe.
The prospects of the new colony were anything but
encouraging. The heat, the blinding reflection from
the sands, the nauseous water, the sparse supply of
food, and fear of Indian attacks, all worked on the
minds of the settlers and helped to depress them. The
Spaniards were also dangerous neighbors and the Eng-
lish might at any time appear. Bienville, full of youth-
ful activity, went on a scout eastward and found that
Pensacola was not very far away. Then he went west
to the Mississippi and met on its waters an English
232 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
ship. Its captain he knew, having met him in Hudson
Bay. The EngUshman said that he was seeking for the
Mississippi. Bienville told him that the French were
in possession, and he went away without trouble,
though he said that he might return. His ship was
the first ever seen on the waters of the great river.
Fortunately for the French settlers no more English
appeared.
Iberville returned before the year was out, bringing
provisions and sixty bushrangers from Canada. He
had been directed to explore the country for mines or
other treasures, and brought with him an adventurer
named St. Denys and a geologist, Le Sueur. With
the latter he soon made his way to the Mississippi,
and a fort was built on the high ground fifty-four miles
from the Gulf. While at work on it, in February,
1700, they were surprised by the appearance of Tonti,
La Salle's old companion, who had made his way down
the stream with boats loaded with furs and manned by
Canadians.
The chief mission of Le Sueur was to learn if there
was any value in certain deposits of " green earth"
which he had found near the upper Mississippi some
years before, when he had spent several years among
the Sioux. With twenty men and some Indian guides
the geologist set out in search of this. Passing up the
whole known length of the river to the Falls of St.
Anthony, he followed the Minnesota River to the
green earth locality. Loading his canoes with this
material, he set off down-stream in May, 1701. But
misfortune followed him, and he never saw his mines
again, the Sioux growing hostile and driving ofif his
men. As for the lading of green earth, it probably
went to the river's bottom, for no statement of its value
was made.
IN AMERICA 233
Iberville soon followed Le Sueur up-stream, leaving
the low country, and reaching higher lands in the do-
main of the Natchez Indians, an Indian nation of pe-
culiar character. They worshipped the sun, and had
temples and priests and a high chief, — the Great Sun
they called him, — who had great power over his sub-
jects. Of this interesting people we shall only say
here that their friendliness to the French was ill re-
quited, for in later years they were treated so un-
justly that they broke into revolt, the result being that
the whole nation was destroyed.
By the time at which we have now arrived, the
spring of 1700, the French were becoming more fa-
miliar with the Mississippi, and several parties had
passed up and down its waters. Bienville, with Tonti
and St. Denys for companions, made a journey of sev-
eral hundred miles up the Red River, to find if the
Spanish of Mexico had posts upon it, while Iberville
took steps to keep the English from reaching the Mis-
sissippi, if they should push their way to the west.
This done, in May, 1700, the founder of the colony
set out again for France in the interests of the set-
tlers, returning in December, 1701. He found a pop-
ulation of about one hundred and fifty discouraged and
discontented souls in the unhealthy settlement at Bi-
loxi, where Sauvolle had died of fever, leaving his
young brother Bienville in command.
The situation was so bad that a change had to be
made, and a more healthy site was chosen at the
head of the Bay of Mobile, where a fort had already
been built. Iberville's active labors had not proved
of advantage to his health, and he was a sick man
when, in 1702, he left for France, never to return. Ill-
ness prevented his coming in 1703. In 1706 he was in
the West Indies in command of a fleet sent to drive
234 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the Eng^lish from those islands, but here death put a
final end to his enterprise.
Iberville, on his last departure from Biloxi, had left
the colony in anything but a flourishing condition. It
consisted then of scarcely thirty families, inhabiting a
dreary and noxious coast region, unfit for cultivation
even if the people had shown any inclination for farm-
ing. As it was, they spent their time in search of
pearls, mines, and buffalo wool, looking to France for
food and other supplies.
We may briefly review the later history of the col-
ony. The departure of Iberville in 1702 left his brother
Bienville, then only twenty-one years of age, in full
control. For many years later this energetic young
man was to be the vital spirit in Louisiana, though not
always its governor. In 1716, ten years after the
death of Iberville, the population of Louisiana had
increased to only about seven hundred souls, and the
colony was by no means flourishing. But the Mis-
sissippi had become a channel of travel between the
lakes and the Gulf, traders bringing deerskins and
furs down it in large quantities, while posts — some of
which were in time to develop into cities — had been
established on its banks. The beginning had been
made, though the end was distant.
An active development of Louisiana began in 1717,
as a result of the operations of John Law, the famous
financier of France. This adventurer organized an
association named " The Company of the West," or,
as it is usually called, " The Mississippi Company."
Its capital was fixed at one hundred million livres. A
great colony was to be founded, the resources of the
country, agricultural and mineral, were to be developed,
and the shattered finances of France to be restored
through the profits of this enterprise. Bienville was
IN AMERICA 235
appointed governor-general, and was expected to pro-
duce great wealth from the fields and mines of the
province. Six thousand white settlers and three thou-
sand black slaves were to be sent out, and it was hoped
that the colony would flourish like the rose. Un-
luckily, the company began by sending out vagrants
and criminals, a class of people that Louisiana had
been better without.
As yet the principal settlement had been at Mobile,
but in 1718 Bienville decided to start a trading-post on
the Mississippi. The most suitable place was a spot
about one hundred miles from the Gulf, where, in a
curve of the stream, the banks rose about ten feet
high. Elsewhere the shores were low and subject to
overflow, and here the traders' cabins soon began to
rise, several hundred colonists coming out during the
year. In this modest way began what is now the pop-
ulous city of New Orleans.
Meanwhile John Law's wild operations were ap-
proaching their end. In December, 1720, the great bub-
ble he had blown up burst, and ruin came to trusting
millions in France. It was June of the next year be-
fore the news of this catastrophe reached Louisiana,
where it caused the greatest alarm. But the colony
had been put on a solid basis, and was now safe from
disaster. In five years the Mississippi Company sent
out seven thousand white settlers and six hundred
negro slaves. Though the mines were not found, ag-
riculture and trade became active, and all seemed going
well.
Bienville made New Orleans the capital of his prov-
ince in 1722. In 1743, then sixty-two years of age,
and weary of a career that had been full of trouble
and annoyance, he retired, leaving in Louisiana a pop-
ulation of about six thousand, whites and slaves. The
236 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
great prosperity he had looked for had not come, but
New Orleans had built up a considerable trade, and
in the days to come the city he had founded was to
grow into one of the great marts of commerce of the
land.
It may be stated, in closing this story of discovery
and settlement, that in 1763, twenty years after Bien-
ville's return to France, the city of New Orleans and
all the French territory west of the Mississippi River
were ceded to Spain, when France gave up all her
possessions on the North American continent after
the French and Indian War. France obtained posses-
sion again in 1801, but in 1803 Napoleon ceded the
whole region to the United States.
IN AMERICA 237
SIEUR DE VERENDRYE AND THE SEA
OF THE WEST
Of all the hopes that filled the souls of the ex-
plorers of America none were more persistent than
that of discovering a great western sea. We have
found this leading Lane, Smith, Hudson, Champlain,
and others to river journeys into the interior. These
hopes survived until far later years. Even when the
country had been penetrated as far as the Mississippi,
and shown to be of great width, every westward point-
ing river was looked upon as a possible channel to
the vast Pacific. The Missouri in particular, from its
abundant flow, seemed full of promise, and from the
days of Marquette onward there were plans or efforts
to ascend its turbid current.
Of the three nations which took a principal part
in the discovery and settlement of the New World, —
England, Spain, and France, — the adventurous sons of
France were far the most earnest and enthusiastic in
geographical discovery. The early Spaniards were dar-
ing and active in exploring the new-found continent,
but their labors were solely given to the quest of gold-
bearing El Dorados, rich empires like those of Mex-
ico and Peru. Discovery for its own sake alone did
not trouble their sordid souls. The English, on the
contrary, devoted themselves to developing the ag-
ricultural resources of the country, and only as new
fertile soil was needed did they push deeper into the
land. Of geographical research for itself they cared
little, and their few attempts at this — like those of
John Smith and Henry Hudson — were efforts of a
few months at the most.
238 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
The French in the New World showed a very differ-
ent spirit. In adventurous daring and persistent ex-
ploration they left their rivals far in the rear. Men
like Champlain, La Salle, and others of the early
French stand alone in their unceasing efforts to ex-
tend the boundaries of geographical knowledge. The
names of numbers of men might be given the best
years of whose lives were spent in travel in the
wilderness, and we owe to these daring heroes of
adventure a far more rapid acquaintance with the
geographical features of the continent than would
otherwise have been attained. The fur-hunters, the
wood-rangers, the river and lake voyagers, who freely
associated with the natives and adopted their woodland
ways, made many contributions to this knowledge ; but
the chief workers in this field were those enthusiasts
who gave their lives to the cause. The work of some
of these has been described. There is one less known,
but not less worthy, of whom we must here speak.
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de Verendrye,
was an American by birth, born in the town of Three
Rivers, on the St. Lawrence, of whose governor he
was the son. He became a soldier of varied activi-
ties. In the colonial wars he took part in raids on the
New England settlements, and he was once left for
dead on a battle-field in Flanders, where he fought as
a soldier of fortune. He was nearly fifty years of age
when he began that career as a discoverer to which
he gave the remainder of his life. It was the great
salt sea of the West, or a vast intermediate lake, to
the discovery of which his efforts were mainly di-
rected.
In 1727 Verendrye was put in charge of a fort on
Lake Nipigon, lying north of Lake Superior. Here
he heard from the Indians the story which they had
IN AMERICA 239
told to earlier generations, of a river flowing to the
west and a mighty lake of salt water at its mouth.
The desire was then bom in him to lay bare the secrets
which were hidden in the unknown west, and he made
his way to Quebec to lay his plans before the govern-
ment and obtain aid and support. The tale he had to
tell came to him from Pako, an Indian chief, who had
an enticing story of a vast lake in the region of the
sunset whose waters flowed in three directions, one
river carrying them to Hudson Bay, a second to the
Mississippi, and a third to the remote west. The lat-
ter stream had a tidal ebb and flow and poured its
waters into a great salt sea, on the shores of which a
race of dwarfs dwelt. A belief of this kind was com-
mon among the Indians of that day. The English at
Hudson Bay w^ere told of rivers flowing to a great
western ocean where ships sailed with men who wore
beards. One half-breed said that he had seen this
ocean, with large black fish sporting in its waves.
Verendry-e gathered from the stories told him that
the central lake, with its three outflowing streams, was
only about twenty days' journey from Fort Nipigon,
and could be reached in a few months from Montreal.
As it proved, the government had less faith than he
in the romancing Indians. The utmost the king would
do was to grant him a monopoly of the fur-trade in
this wild region if he could get merchants to aid him.
In the end a company was formed to trade with the
western tribes.
It was on the 8th of June, 1731, that Verendrye and
his companions set out in canoes from Montreal on a
long journey into the unknown. He had with him his
three sons. Father Messager, a Jesuit missionary, and
a number of boatmen and hunters. Equipped for the
journey by the fur-company, he was expected to live
240 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
by hunting and trading for furs, to seek the great
lake and the western ocean, and to claim the country
for the king.
He reached the waters of Lake Superior by mid-
summer, and left them in late August, making his way
to the west. His immediate goal was the lake called
by the Indians Ouinipigon (now Winnipeg), which
reports made him look upon as an expansion of the
central lake he sought. Winter was spent on Pigeon
River, where he built a fort to protect his supplies,
leaving men to guard it as he pushed onward the
next spring. Rainy Lake was passed and by July the
Lake of the Woods was reached. On the west side of
this far interior body of water he built a stockade
named Fort St. Charles, and spent there the second
winter of his long and arduous journey.
Canoes laden with furs were sent back to Montreal,
with an account of the progress he had made, and by
September of 1733 some supplies reached him from
the company. Beauhamois, the governor of New
France, took much interest in his exploits, but this was
not the case with the king and his government. Stories
reached France of the hardships and perils the party
had met and of the death of Verendrye's nephew, and
the expedition seems to have been looked upon as the
hopeless effort of an over-enthusiastic adventurer, who
ought not to be encouraged.
Meanwhile Verendrye continued his efforts. In the
spring of 1734 he sent one of his sons to build a fort
on Lake Winnipeg at the mouth of the river flowing
from the Lake of the Woods. This he named Fort
Maurepas. Later in that year he returned to Mon-
treal to consult with the company, but by the autumn
of 1735 he was back at Fort St. Charles. The condi-
tions he found there were discouraging. Food had
IN AMERICA 241
grown so scarce that famine was prostrating the gar-
rison. The perils of the enterprise increased as the
months and years passed on, one of his sons was
killed by a war-party of the Sioux Indians, and by 1737
disasters accumulated to such an extent that he de-
spaired of success and felt inclined to abandon the
whole project.
Ten years had passed since the romances of the In-
dians had first aroused the ambition of discovery in
his mind, six years since he had begun his hopeful
journey from Montreal, and he had yet advanced only
a few hundred miles westward from Lake Nipigon,
while the hopes of further progress grew daily more
faint in his mind. In October he advised the powers
at Montreal that his losses in men and stores had
been so great that he was disposed to abandon the
enterprise.
But this was not the true spirit of the adventurers
of New France, and in the next year, 1738, we find
Verendrye inspired with fresh hopes. The Indians
about Fort St. Charles had regaled him with fresh
tales of western wonders, telling him that on the great
river he sought were walled towns, peopled by whites.
These men had no fire-arms, but they worked in iron
and wore iron armor. On the Missouri lived a strange
tribe called the Mandans, who were likely to know
the way to the distant sea and could furnish him with
guides to its waters.
Verendrye, his old hopes revived, decided that the
Mandans must be visited. In the summer of 1738 he
set out from Fort Maurepas, passing in canoes up the
Red River of the North and turning into the Assini-
boine, on which he built another fort which he named
Fort La Reine. This was one more of the various
forts which he scattered about during his career, as
16
242 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
centres of dominion and of the trade in furs. He was
making his track secure as he went.
On the 1 8th of October, 1738, he set out on his long
overland journey to the Missouri, with a party of
fifty men in all, some of them Indians. Nearly seventy
years before Marquette and Joliet had fancied, from
the great body of water that poured from its mouth,
that this broad stream might be the main channel to
the western sea. French adventurers had explored its
lower waters, but Verendrye was now to strike it far
up its channel, where dwelt that pecuUar tribe of
which he had been told.
It was on the 3d of December that he entered a
village of the Mandans. Were they Indians? They
did not look like them, many of them being of light
complexion, and numbers of their women having
flaxen hair. Their features also differed from those of
ordinary Indians, and their habitations and customs
were unlike those of the tribes he had known. In
later years they were often spoken of as the white
Indians, and some observers thought that the blood
of the whites ran in their veins.
Verendrye made but a short stay among this inter-
esting people. He questioned them closely, and was
told by them that white men who rode horses and
wore iron armor when they fought dwelt only a day's
journey off. These were probably the Spaniards of
New Mexico — dwelling in fact many days' journey
away. What he learned about the western sea we are
not told. He took formal possession of their country
in the king's name, — they knowing nothing of what
the ceremonies meant, — left two men with them to
learn their language and what else they could, and
set oflf for La Reine fort, suflfering more from fatigue
during the journey than ever before.
IN AMERICA 243
The two men left among the Mandans returned in
September of the following year. Their story was
that while they were there some men from a western
tribe had come to the village to trade. These told
them that men with pale faces like their own and
wearing beards lived near their home. They built
forts of brick and stone and mounted them with can-
non. They had oxen and horses, wore cotton cloth-
ing, cultivated grain, worshipped the cross, and had
books with which they prayed. Near where they
dwelt was a great water, which rose and fell and
which no one could drink. The best we can conjec-
ture is that these Indians had some knowledge of the
Spaniards of California.
Verendrye soon after made his way to Montreal,
where he spent two years in efforts to straighten out
his affairs, which were in a bad shape. He was at
La Reine again in 1741, and the next year sent his
sons on a new expedition. They sought the Mandan
towns, and went on far to the west, passing from
tribe to tribe. Everywhere they heard of the great
sea, but it always appeared to lie in the territory of
the next tribe. At length, on the ist of January, 1743,
they came to the outlying ridges of the Rocky Moun-
tains. The cliffs seen were perhaps those of the Big
Horn Range, near the sources of the Yellowstone.
" Well wooded and very high," they seemed to the
travellers, but these little dreamed of the vastness of
the rolling mountain-ranges upon which they were the
first of white men to gaze. Still less did they dream
of the many hundred miles of mountain and plain
which lay between them and the sea they sought.
Returning to the banks of the Missouri by the spring
of 1743, the discoverers of the Rockies buried there a
leaden plate engraved with the royal arms. They
244 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
reached La Reine in July, after an absence of fifteen
months, during which they had gone far beyond the
utmost outpost of former travel and reached the foot-
hills of the mighty mountain-barrier of the west.
With this discovery of his sons ends the record of
Verendrye's explorations. Misfortunes harassed his
few remaining years. He told the ministers of the
government of the discoveries he had made, the forts
he had built, and the new discoveries that awaited
those with the daring to seek them, but he could not
move them to come to his assistance. His sons went
to Quebec with a similar purpose, but neither the offi-
cials nor the merchants would listen to their words.
Verendrye's fur-trading enterprise had not been suc-
cessful and the dealers were not willing to risk any
more money. The wearied and worn-out explorer died
at Three Rivers, the place of his birth, on the 6th
of December, 1749, after a career of persistent research
which compares well with that of any of the American
pioneers.
Verendrye dead. La Jonquiere, then governor of
Canada, decided to follow up his researches, and the
younger son of the explorer, one of the discoverers of
the Rocky Mountains, sought an appointment to this
work. But the governor had plans of his own, com-
mercial as well as geographical, and the son of the
dead hero was rejected, Legardeur de St. Pierre being
chosen for the task.
■St. Pierre was experienced in forest lore. He came
of a race of foresters and for many years had him-
self been a wood-ranger. But he lacked the whole-
souled enthusiasm of Verendrye, and though he was
three years absent (1750-1753), he had barren results
to show. The hardships of the journey were too much
for him, and he went no farther than Fort La Reine.
IN AMERICA 245
From that point he sent out a party to the Saskatche-
wan, who ascended that stream to the Rocky Moun-
tains, they being the first to give the name of Rocky
to the range. They built a fort three hundred miles
above the river's mouth, but soon abandoned it and
fell back to La Reine.
It was in October, 1753, that St. Pierre returned to
Quebec, with very little to show for his three years
of absence. Other French explorers were out at the
same time, some of them seeking the sources of the
Mississippi. But war with the English began in 1754,
and with it all the researches of the French came to an
end. Under the treaty of peace of 1763 New France
ceased to exist, and English succeeded French rule in
Canada. From that date geographical research ceased
in Canada, except that conducted in the interest of the
Hudson Bay Company,
246 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
VITUS BERING AND THE DISCOVERY
OF BERING SEA
Much has been said about the discovery of north-
west and northeast passages, and of the various peo-
ple who undertook to find them, and just here it may
be well to say precisely what these passages signify.
It was found in time that the continent of America
was complete from Labrador to the Strait of Ma-
gellan, and that there was no place where a ship could
sail across it into the Pacific Ocean, on its way to
India and the East. But there were waters north of
the continent, and it was hoped that by sailing to the
northwest an open passage might be found to the
Pacific on the north like that of the Strait of Magel-
lan on the south. It was also thought that by sailing
to the -northeast, and passing north of Europe and
Asia, a passage to the Pacific might be found much
shorter than that by way of Africa and the Cape of
Good Hope.
Such were the famous northwest and northeast
passages which were sought for centuries in vain.
In fact, it was not known that the Pacific could be
reached at all by this route. America appeared to
stretch in its northern part far to the west and Asia
far to the east, and no one knew but that they might
join together and no body of water exist between them.
In that case a vessel traversing either of those pas-
sages would have to pass north of all the continents of
America, Asia, and Europe, and come out into the
Atlantic from which it started. Here was a question
which was not settled until 1728, when Vitus Bering,
a bold Danish mariner, sailed north in the Pacific and
IN AMERICA 247
discovered the narrow channel, only thirty-six miles
wide at its narrowest point, which separates America
from Asia. Until that date it was not known that
Amerita was a completely separate continent. It is to
Bering that we owe this discovery, and therefore the
story of his voyage is of importance to us all.
Bering, or Behring, — for his name will be found
with both these spellings, — was born in Denmark in
1680. But though a son of that land of famous sea-
kings, most of his life was spent in Russia, the navy
of which he entered while quite young. Here he won
renown in the war with Sweden, and in 1724, when
Peter the Great wished to settle the eastern boundaries
of his kingdom, he picked out Vitus Bering for the
work.
Siberia had been discovered and conquered by the
Cossack brigand Irmak, between 1560 and 1580, as far
as the Obi River. Thence others pushed eastward in
search of gold and furs, and in 1706 the peninsula of
Kamtchatka was discovered and added to the Russian
Empire. But how much farther Siberia might extend
in the north no one knew. The whole question about
the borders of Asia and America was a mystery.
Nothing was known of the Pacific north of Japan on
the Asiatic side and nothing north of Drake's " New
Albion" on the American side. Some believed that
the two continents were joined, a land-bridge passing
from one to the other. Others thought that they were
separated. But no one knew anything about it, and it
was for this reason that Peter the Great wished to
learn where his empire ended on the east, and chose
the Danish navigator to try and find out. In those
days Russia had no mariners of experience and skill
of her own, and Peter himself had gone to Holland
to learn how a ship should be built.
248 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
It was no small task that lay before the modern vi-
king. He was to start from the eastern shore of
Kamtchatka and see if any strait between the conti-
nents could be discovered. But the starting-point of
the expedition was St. Petersburg, and between this
city and the Kamtchatkan peninsula lay some five
thousand miles of largely unknown country, more than
half of it a wild wilderness, inhabited by savage tribes,
and with no Russians except a few outpost dwellers,
mainly Cossack barbarians. To cross Siberia in those
days was a venture fit to try the stoutest souls, and
many were the troubles through which the bold Dane
passed before he reached Kamtchatka and began the
building of his stout little ship, the " Gabriel."
The building of the ship itself was no trifle in that
remote outpost of the empire, destitute of any conveni-
ences for the work, and to which the necessary tools,
rigging, and supplies had to be transported from far
distant Russia. The ship, built at a point near Cape
Kamtchatka, was finally launched in the summer of
1728. Supplies on board and anchor raised, the sails
were set to the wind, and the little bark glided away
on its route to the north, keeping within sight of the
coast as it went. On the nth of August land was
seen to the eastward, this proving to be an island which
Bering named St. Lawrence. On the 14th was seen,
in 190° E. longitude, the cape now known as East
Cape, and which forms the most easterly extremity of
Asia. Not knowing this, Bering sailed on to the north,
leaving the cape behind and coming into what seemed
an open sea, with no land in sight. The American
coast, some forty miles away, was not visible from his
deck. For a day longer he sailed on into the Arctic
Sea, then turned and came back, still without seeing
the American coast.
IN AMERICA 249
Bering was satisfied that he had completed his
work. He believed that he had found the end of Asia
and proven that no bridge of land joined the conti-
nents. That he was correct later voyages made clear,
and the strait through which he passed is rightly
known by his name, while the sea south of it is also
named after him, under the title of Bering Sea.
He had discovered the extremity of Peter the
Great's empire, though Peter was never to know it,
for he had died three years before. But there was
much still to be done. The great project of charting
the whole northern coast of Siberia was planned out.
The western shore of America, to which Bering had
come so near without seeing it, was to be discovered
and explored. For all that was known a great open
sea might lie between the two continents. This ques-
tion was settled in 1732, when Gvosdjeff, a Russian
sea-captain, sailed into the strait and discovered the
American coast, and the real narrowness of the di-
viding line between the continents became known.
Much had been done with the small resources at the
command of the navigators, but before a longer voy-
age could be undertaken better facilities were needed.
To supply these the town of Petropavlosk in Kam-
tchatka, was founded as a base of operations, and two
ships, named the " St. Peter" and " St. Paul," were
built. These were larger and better-appointed vessels
tnan the little " Gabriel," and in command of them
Bering set out on his second voyage of exploration
in 1 741.
His course lay at first to the southeast. Some map-
makers of the period had found in their fancies a new
land, called by them Gamaland, and supposed by them
to lie somewhere in the Pacific eastward from Japan.
Bering looked for this imaginary island or continent
250 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
in vain, sailing south to 46° N. latitude and to near
the 1 80th degree of longitude. This bootless search
caused him to miss the Aleutian Islands, since he next
steered to the northeast and came upon the coast of
Alaska at the point where looms in view the lofty peak
of Mount St. Elias.
In the return of the expedition a more direct route
was taken, and the long chain of the Aleutian Islands
discovered. As these are practically mountain-peaks,
ascending from the sea-bottom and continuing the
main Alaskan mountain-range into the ocean, they are
held to be a portion of America and to constitute its
most westerly extremity. Thus was completed the dis-
covery of this section of the North American continent.
Bering's return was a chapter of misfortunes. Pro-
visions ran short and hunger attacked the crew. With
it came the dread disease of scurvy, the bane of the
mariner in those days. Their ill fortune culminated in
a wreck, a storm throwing Bering's vessel on a desert
island in the easterly section of the Aleutian group
and about one hundred miles from the Kamtchatkan
coast. Here scurvy and ague attacked the daring navi-
gator, and he died in the midst of his discoveries. The
scene of his death has since been known as Bering
Island.
Death came to many of his sailors as well as to
himself, while the survivors, saved from starvation by
eating the sea-otters and foxes which they found on
the island, built a rude vessel out of the fragments
of the wreck, and succeeded in getting back to Petro-
pavlosk, from which they had set sail. Nor did they
return empty handed, since they brought with them
the furs of the otters and foxes they had killed and
eaten on Bering Island.
Shall we go on to tell how Russia gained a footing
IN AMERICA 251
in America? The valuable sea-otter furs led to this.
Adventurers, who were little better than freebooters,
began to cross to the Aleutian Islands in search of
furs, the sea-otters being there very plentiful, while
China was ready to purchase their furs at high prices.
In time the roving fur-traders were followed by col-
onists, who founded trading-posts on several of the
islands, and pushed on from point to point until the
American coast was reached and occupied.
The early fur-seekers had been very cruel to the
natives, and when the colonists came the coast In-
dians looked upon them as enemies. Missionaries
were brought over, Greek churches were built, and an
effort was made to save the souls of the poor sav-
ages. But it cannot be said that much effort was
made to save their bodies, which were more to them
than their souls. Certainly they found the newcomers
more of oppressors than of Christian friends.
This first colony in Alaska was not a prosperous
one, and its people were not thrifty. They could not
raise any food from the earth, for the land was too
cold for that, being laden with ice for much of the
year, so their only occupation was that of hunting
otters and seals for their furs. And the settlers were
little more than vassals of the Russian dealers, while
the Indians were treated as if they were slaves.
One of the trading-posts was founded on the large
island of Unalaska about 1773, and another on the
island of Kadiak in 1783, and by 1789 there were eight
of these posts, with some two hundred and fifty Rus-
sian colonists. Sitka was founded at a later date to
check the enterprise of the people of the Hudson Bay
Company, who were looking for furs in these quarters.
These posts were long controlled by private dealers,
but in 1799 the Russian-American Company was
252 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
formed under the sanction of the emperor, and from
that time on it was the power in this region, to which
the name of Russian America came to be applied. The
company had its head-quarters on Kadiak, but after-
wards removed them to Sitka. Its claims grew ex-
tensive as the years passed on, since it declared that
the whole western coast of America, from Bering
Strait down to and beyond the mouth of the Colum-
bia River, was Russian territory.
It is an interesting fact that these Russian claims
had a share in causing the Monroe Doctrine to be pro-
claimed. This is how it came about. The western
coast as far south as California was not occupied, and
Russia showed a disposition to seize it as her own. In
1821 the Emperor Alexander issued an ukase in which
he claimed the whole northwest coast down to the
51st parallel of north latitude, and even forbade
any foreign vessel to come within one hundred miles
of its shores. A Russian settlement had also been
made on the coast of California, and it seemed likely,
if Mexico should gain its freedom from Spain, that
Russia would take possession of California.
This act of Russia was a main cause of the dec-
laration in the Monroe Doctrine that the American
continents are not to be considered as open to future
colonization by any foreign power. The Russian
claim was settled, however, before the Monroe Doc-
trine was issued. The autocrat of Russia did not
care much for his American possessions, which seemed
then of very little value. So when a protest was made
by the American minister he readily withdrew his
claim, and the southern limit of Russian America was
fixed at the parallel of 54° 40'.
In 1867, when the United States ofifered to pur-
chase the whole of Russian America for $7,200,000 in
>
IN AMERICA 253
gold, the Russian emperor was quite willing to sell,
probably thinking he was getting a good price for an
unprofitable piece of land. If Alaska, as this country
is now called, were in the market to-day, one hundred
times this figure would doubtless be considered too
low a price. To the Russians it was valued only as
a fur-yielding country. Furs are still obtained there,
but its great value to the United States is for its fish-
eries, its abundant timber, and its gold and other min-
erals, the full extent and abundance of which is still
far from known.
254 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY AND THE i
WORK OF THE FUR-HUNTERS
We have elsewhere given the first chapter in the
history of Hudson Bay, that great ocean cup which
dips far down from the Arctic Sea into the north-
east section of America, reaching from the realm of
ice well down towards the Great Lakes. We have
told how Henry Hudson, its discoverer and explorer,
was set adrift on its waters by his mutinous crew, to
perish by storm or hunger. Expeditions were sent out
in the following three years in search of the famous
discoverer, but no trace of him was ever found. ~%
This much was found, that this section of North
America was one of the richest fur-bearing lands in
the world. It was not long before the daring wood-
rangers of France were making their way far into
the forests and up the streams, trading with the In-
dians for furs. Miles did not count with them in their
eagerness for trade, and the shores of Hudson Bay
were not too far distant for their footsteps to reach.
This state of affairs troubled the English, who also
had a fancy for furs and the gold they brought in,
and in 1670 Prince Rupert, the dashing cavalry hero
of the English civil war, asked the king, his cousin,
to give him and some of his friends the territory of
Hudson Bay and grant them the sole right to its trade
and commerce.
Charles II. did not hesitate. He was always ready
to give away lands to which he had no better title
than to the mountains of the moon. Ten years later
he gave to William Penn the great province of Penn-
IN AMERICA 255
sylvania, and he freely gave away other sections which
he did not own. So Rupert and his friends were
granted all they asked, and the famous Hudson Bay
Company was formed, with the full right to all the
products of that country, which was long known as
Rupert's Land.
A rich land it was for the fur-hunter, a mighty pre-
serve, as we are told, " for fur-bearing animals and for
Indians who might hunt and trap them." Here the
beaver built on every favorable stream, and here lived
multitudes of " otters, martens, musk-rats, and all the
other species of amphibious creatures, with countless
herds of buffaloes, moose, bears, deer, foxes, and
wolves."
Verily, for those who wanted furs, here was the
place to seek them, and the company was not long in
setting up trading-stations on the shores of the bay,
and soon its agents were shipping to London vast
quantities of furs bought from the Indians for a mere
fraction of their value. But it cannot be said that
Rupert and his friends got much profit from their
trade. On the contrary, it was a losing game, and
before 1700 they were more than a million dollars out
of pocket.
This happened because they held a disputed claim.
It was not disputed by the Indians, who were the orig-
inal owners, but by the French, who maintained that
their settlement on the St. Lawrence gave them the
right to all the country lying north and west of Que-
bec and Montreal. It was not long, then, before they
were sending war-parties to the north and knocking
to pieces the English forts. Now these were taken by
the French and now they were taken back by the Eng-
lish, and there was no end of trouble. Among the
parties engaged in this was Iberville, the founder of
256 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Louisiana, and there were others as active as he, so
that the Hudson Bay Company found its claim a costly
one to hold.
This thing came largely to an end in 171 3, when
the war between England and P^rance ceased, and, in
the treaty of Utrecht, Hudson Bay and the country for
many miles to the south were ceded to England. But
for long after that the Company did not show any
enterprise. While the French were making their way
for hundreds of miles inland in search of furs, the
English kept close to the shores of the bay and waited
for the Indians to come to them. As late as 1749 there
were only four or five trading-posts on the coast, with
about one hundred and twenty traders, and some en-
vious persons made an effort to take from the Com-
pany its charter, as a " non-user."
In 1763 the great war between the English and
French colonies ended in a treaty which gave to Eng-
land the whole of Canada. The region of fur animals
now belonged to the new owners of the country, who
did not show any lack of enterprise. They were as
daring and adventurous as the French had been before
them, — many of them, indeed, being the French who
continued to live in the country under English rule.
They penetrated the country in every direction, going
far into the northwest and not hesitating to seek furs
in the territory of the Hudson Bay Company. These
individuals at length combined into the Northwest Fur
Company of Montreal, and from that time for many
years there was a fierce competition between the two
companies, the Hudson Bay Company being now thor-
oughly wakened up.
It is not the disputes and conflicts of these two com-
panies that we are here concerned with, but the dis-
coveries to which the search for fur-bearing animals
i
IN AMERICA 257
led, so we shall say no more about the struggles of
the companies, but go back to our main subject.
At the start, as was above stated, the Hudson Bay-
Company's agents waited for the Indians to bring
them furs. But this was not the French way, and the
agents after a while found, if they wanted a fair
share of the trade, they must go after the furs them-
selves. So they began to make long journeys into
the interior, seeking the natives in their villages, learn-
ing their languages, and adapting themselves to their
way of life. It was hard to carry civilization into the
wilderness, and on their trips these adventurers had to
live like the savages. After 1763, when the fur-hunt-
ers from Montreal became more enterprising and dar-
ing, those of the Company had to keep pace with them
and go still farther into the land. And this led to the
discoveries of which we propose to speak.
When the Hudson Bay Company was formed the
idea of finding a northwest passage to India was still
very much alive, and to discover this passage was one
of the things the Company was expected to do. But
it did not trouble itself to do anything of the kind.
It was kept too busy in gathering furs and in fighting
off the French. It was also expected to settle the
country granted it, and thus form a great English
colony in the north. This also it did not try to do.
Colonists would interfere with the fur-trade, and the
fur-trade was the life of the Company. So the most it
ever did was to build posts at Hudson Bay and at
points through the wilderness, where the hunters
could bring in their furs and exchange them for goods.
There were also ships to carry the forest spoil to Lon-
don and a warehouse there to store it in, and that
was all that was done.
The Company was formed to make money and did
17
258 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
not want the outside world to know too well what it
was doing in the wilderness, so colonists were not
invited, and only its own agents found a welcome at its
posts. But among those agents were many daring and
enterprising men, and important discoveries were
made in that vast frozen region of the north. Two of
the fur-hunters rank with the great discoverers, and of
these two we wish to speak. One of them was an
agent of the Hudson Bay Company and the other of
the Northwest Company.
Furs were not the only things brought in by the
natives. Some of them brought fragments of copper-
ore. When asked where these came from, they spoke
vaguely of a great river in the north where plenty of
such material could be found. From this the river,
which no white man had yet seen, came to be called
the Coppermine River, and the agents of the Company
grew eager to find it and discover its mines of ore.
At length, in 1769, the Company's head man on Hud-
son Bay chose one of his trustiest people and sent him
into the wilderness in search of the river and its
mines.
Samuel Hearne was the name of this man. He had
been a midshipman in the British navy, had proved
himself a daring dealer with the Indians, and was
fond enough of adventure to welcome this perilous
task. Taking with him some Indian guides, he plunged
into the wilderness, living as they lived, fasting when
food animals were scarce, and feasting when they were
plentiful, for he and his guides had to live largely on
the produce of the land. Many were the miles they
traversed, many the hardships they endured, but the
farther they went the farther away the Coppermine
River seemed. Twice Hearne sought it in vain, but
he was one of the men who do not give up, and on the
IN AMERICA 259
third attempt he reached its banks. He found the
stream only to be disappointed, for no copper worth
gathering appeared on its shores.
The persevering traveller had many adventures and
passed through many new scenes. Tribe after tribe
was visited, of different habits, some of them incura-
bly savage, but with them all the pipe of peace was a
sacred emblem, and when he had once smoked it with
them in their huts he was an honored guest, welcome
to the best they possessed. But to most of them a
white man was a being unknown, and they viewed his
white skin and light hair with the deepest curiosity.
Hearne had supposed that the Coppermine ran into
Hudson Bay. He discovered that it ran into the Arc-
tic Ocean, and in the true spirit of a discoverer he
followed it to its mouth, at a point far to the west of
Hudson Bay. He was the first of white men to stand
on the shores of that northern ocean and gaze out on
its broad spread of waters, and when he came back
and told his tale his find was hailed as a great geo-
graphical discovery. The waters he had gazed upon
were viewed as a part of that northwest passage so
often and so vainly sought. Hearne returned in 1772,
having given more than two years to his labors.
A greater than Hearne, the greatest of all the dis-
coverers in the broad northwest, was Alexander Mac-
kenzie, an enterprising Scotchman, who began his
career in Canada as a clerk of the Northwest Fur
Company. For eight years, from 1781 to 1789, he
lived as a trader at Fort Chippewyan, at the foot of
Lake Athabasca, discovered by Hearne in 1771, and
lying midway between Hudson Bay and the Rocky
Mountain range.
A born explorer and adventurer, Mackenzie grew
restless in view of the lack of knowledge of the great
26o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
surrounding country. How far away lay the Pacific
Ocean? How far north lay the Arctic sea? What lay
between ? These were questions which wrought within
his mind and of which he grew eager to find the an-
swer. Mackenzie was a man who, when his mind was
made up, was not to be deterred by any obstacles. He
determined to reach the two oceans, and set out on his
first great journey, that leading to the Arctic Ocean,
in 1789.
From near his point of departure the Slave River
flowed northward, and the traveller followed it to the
Great Slave Lake. Thence northward for more than
a thousand miles ran the great stream known after its
discoverer as the Mackenzie River. In our days the
Athabasca River, Slave River, and Mackenzie River
are looked upon as a single stream, passing in their
course through the large lakes mentioned, and having
a total length of two thousand miles. The Mackenzie,
ice-closed through the greater part of the year, is in
the summer season open to travel, and the daring
traveller floated in his canoe down its thousand miles
to its outlet in the Arctic Sea. He was the second of
white men to gaze upon that watery domain, his point
of view being far to the west of that on which Samuel
Hearne had beheld its waves.
In this enterprise Mackenzie had accomplished only
half his proposed task. The Pacific still lay at some
unknown distance to the west, and this he was deter-
mined to see. As he went down the Mackenzie he
asked the natives about the country that lay beyond
the western mountain-wall, but all they could tell him
was that there dwelt people so fierce that no stranger
dared go among them. Little as this was, that little
was not true, as Mackenzie was to discover.
Returning to Fort Chippewyan, he set out from there
IN AMERICA 261
in 1792 for the foothills of the mountains, and there
spent the winter, preparing for his mountain-climbing
journey in the following year. When spring came
again and the streams cast off their icy chains, he was
ready for his difficult enterprise. With his guides and
companions he set out, taking a single canoe to carry
his food and supplies, a strong one, yet light enough
for two men to carry it around rapids and falls. By
its aid the small party made its way with toil and
hardship up a mountain stream, swollen with the melt-
ing snows, and in its higher reaches continually
choked with rocks or broken with rapids. So fre-
quently were these met with, and so great became the
toil of carrying the canoe around them, that the
men grew disheartened and wished to return. The
mountains could not be crossed, they said. But Mac-
kenzie said they could and should, and by his cheer-
ful temper gave them heart for further efforts.
Questioning the mountain Indians he met, he was
told by them that he would find the route much shorter
by land than by stream. Taking their advice, he left
the canoe and traversed the mountains on foot. Food
here was plentiful. The mountain streams were at
this season crowded with salmon, and the natives were
living in plenty. As for the fierce tribes of which he
had been told, none of them were met. The Indians
of the hill country, to whom a white man seemed a
being from some remote planet, were kindly and hos-
pitable, sharing food and shelter with him and his men,
and helping him with aid and counsel.
The journey, toilsome as it had been, was not so
long as he had feared, and on the 23d of July, 1793,,
Mackenzie and his men traversed the final miles of
their journey and stood on the Pacific shores near the
Straits of Fuca, which now form the dividing-line
262 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
between Canada and the United States. He was the
first man to cross the continent in its full width since
Cabeza de Vaca, two hundred and fifty years before.
Hearne and Mackenzie were not the only men
whom the fur-trade inspired to discovery. There
were others of minor importance who helped to make
the vast region of British America known to the world.
As for the two competing companies, the Hudson Bay
and the Northwest, after many years of bitter strug-
gle they gave up the fight, joined into one in 1821,
and until 1859 this combination, under the old name
of the Hudson Bay Company, had a monopoly of the
fur-trade between the Atlantic and the Pacific, the
Great Lakes, and the Arctic seas. It even made a
vigorous effort to add Oregon to its territory and se-
cure that splendid domain for Great Britain, but in
this effort it met with defeat.
In 1859 the fur-trade of Canada was thrown open
to the competition of the world, and in 1869 the Com-
pany ceded its territorial rights to the British gov-
ernment, receiving $1,500,000 in money, and retaining
all its forts with fifty thousand acres of land, and also
one-twentieth of all the land within the " fertile belt"
from the Red River to the Rocky Mountains. Thus
the great Company founded by Charles II. nearly two
hundred and fifty years ago is not yet extinct, but still
carries on the business of collecting furs and also en-
joys a large income from the sale of its fertile lands.
IN AMERICA 263
WASHINGTON AND GIST AND THE
FORTS ON FRENCH CREEK
Those who have read the last few tales will see how
active the French were as explorers. Far and wide
they went, traversing the woods, the streams, the
lakes, seeking the mountains and the seas beyond,
eager for furs and mines, but paying little heed to
agriculture, that true foundation of a successful col-
ony.
All this time the English had been as busy, but in
a different way. They had planted flourishing col-
onies on the Atlantic shores in which agriculture was
the principal industry, and in which the population
rapidly increased. But they troubled themselves very
little about discovery and exploration, and while the
French were founding their trading-posts in the vast
interior, the English were planting the soil and mov-
ing inward from the coast only as new farms were
needed for new settlers. Thus their progress in oc-
cupying territory was slow, though their population
grew much more rapidly than that of the restless
French.
All this was due, not so much to difference in en-
terprise, as in the purpose of the two peoples. In the
case of Spain, it was the eager search for gold that
led adventurers through vast territories. In the case
of France, it was the trade in furs, and still more the
noble waterways which opened before them. In the
case of England, on the contrary, the practice of ag-
riculture tied the people to their farms, and they moved
264 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
into the interior only as new areas of fertile ground
were found and opened.
The settlers were long in reaching the mountains
and slow in crossing them. But at length, about the
time that French enterprise reached its climax, that
of England fairly began, and adventurous scouts
pushed over the mountain-ridges and into the country
beyond. Rivalry with the French for the possession
of the Ohio Valley had much to do with this, and led
in the end to the seven years' French and Indian War.
It is our purpose here to give the story of some of
these adventurers, and especially that of Christopher
Gist, whose connection with Washington gives a his-
toric interest to his career.
As late as 1748 very few white men had made their
way into the splendid and fertile Shenandoah Valley
of Virginia. In that year George Washington, then
a boy of sixteen, was dragging a surveyor's chain
through this valley and measuring its miles for Lord
Fairfax, who had a large claim in it. Farther south
land-hunters had begun their work, and in 1749 a
grant of eight hundred thousand acres, west of the
Carolina Mountains, was made to the Loyal Land
Company, in which Dr. Thomas Walker was a lead-
ing spirit. Walker led a party over the mountains and
was the first to discover Cumberland Gap and River,
which he named after the duke of Cumberland. In
March, 1750, he went again, leading his party up
Cumberland River till they found a likely spot in the
forest, where they cleared the ground and built a
house, the first ever erected on the soil of Kentucky.
A rich region it was, with its blue-grass meadows,
verdant forests, fertile soil, and herds of deer and buf-
falo; a region sure to attract settlers in the future,
though Walker's house long stood alone.
IN AMERICA 265
In 1753 Dr. Walker was chosen to command an ex-
pedition designed to cross the Alleghanies and follow
the waterways of the west, with the hope of finding
a river leading to that great sea of the west which the
French had so long been seeking. The war which
broke out the next year put an end to this plan.
Meanwhile English explorers and adventurers were
astir farther north, and the packmen of Pennsylvania
and Virginia were making their way into the Ohio
Valley. There was then a wagon road from Philadel-
phia through Lancaster to Harris's Ferry (Harris-
burg), whence a bridle-path led to Will's creek on the
Potomac. From this point an Indian trail passed over
the mountains to the forks of the Ohio, — the site of
Pittsburg, — and other trails ran farther west. As the
years went on the traders grew numerous, it being
said that about 1748 as many as three hundred Eng-
lish traders, in a single season, crossed the mountains
with their pack-horses, and floated down the western
streams in their boats. In the same year the famous
Ohio Company was formed, the first step towards the
coming war.
It is with the Ohio Company that the name of Chris-
topher Gist comes into history. He was the chief of
their scouts, and was sent by them in 1750 to the falls
of the Ohio with orders to study the Indian tribes and
look out for level and fertile land. He made an ex-
tended journey through the Ohio country, visited its
chief tribes, and built on the Miami, about one hun-
dred and fifty miles up-stream from the Ohio, the
trading-post of Picktown, then the extreme western
station of the English. Here gathered about fifty
packmen, while around it were some four hundred In-
dian families of the Miami tribe. At the mouth of the
Scioto Gist crossed the Ohio into Kentucky, and made
266 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
his way south by the waters of the Licking and Ken-
tucky rivers, travelling eastward from the latter and
completing his journey of about twelve hundred miles
in May, 1751.
This was the longest exploration yet made by any
English explorer west of the mountains. In it Gist
was aided by two other noted pioneers, George Gro-
ghan, an adventurous Irishman, who had for some
years traded along Lake Erie, and Andrew Montour,
a half-breed with an European face, but the dress and
appearance of a savage. Both these men were very
prominent figures in the settlement of the West and
the dealings with the Indians.
For the next two years Gist was kept busy in pros-
pecting duty by the Ohio Company, and then, in the
winter of 1753, came the historic incident in his Hfe.
On the 14th of November of that year there came
to his cabin on Will's Creek, where it flows into the
Potomac, three strangers. They were on horseback
and dressed in pioneer garb, the one who was evi-
dently their leader being a very young man, but with
a face full of character and intelligence, one of the
kind of men who seem born to make their mark in the
world.
In a few well-chosen words he told the frontiers-
man that he wanted his help and what he wanted it
for. He did not need to tell him that the late move-
ments of the English had stirred up the French, who
were now making active efforts to take possession of
the Ohio Valley. They had begun by building forts,
— one at Presque Isle, on Lake Erie; one on French
Creek, near its head-waters ; one where French Creek
joins the Alleghany. This was not all. A party of
French and Indians had made their way to the forks
of the Ohio, the site of Pittsburg, and the most im-
IN AMERICA 267
portant point to be secured. Here they found some
English traders and took them prisoners, claiming
that they were intruding on French territory.
On the other hand, Governor Dinwiddie, of Vir-
ginia, claimed that the French were intruding on
English territory, and he had sent out this small
party to visit their forts and demand that they should
remove from land which did not belong to them. It
was a long journey the young envoy had to make,
more than eleven hundred miles in total length. It
led through the unbroken wilderness, much of it over
rugged mountains, with no paths but the narrow In-
dian trails. The season was winter; there were icy
rivers to be crossed ; the journey was one that would
test all their strength and endurance. He wished to
add to his party some men who knew the ways of the
wilderness and how to deal with the Indians, and he
knew that Christopher Gist was the man.
When questioned by Gist, he said that his name was
George Washington, and that he was a major in the
Virginia militia. The two men with him were French
and Indian interpreters. The hardy frontiersman,
always ready for adventure, was quick to join, and
with him four other Will's Creek settlers, two of them
Indian traders. Two days later the little party set out
on their difficult route. There were miles of rough
mountain to be climbed, swollen streams to be crossed,
wide forests to be traversed, the journey being one
fitted only for the most hardy and vigorous men.
Recent rains had filled the streams to their banks
and they were difficult and dangerous to cross. Reach-
ing the Alleghany near its mouth, they swam their
horses over and hurried on to the Indian village of
Logstown, where Washington had a conference with
the Half King, a leading chief. He told the Indian
268 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
that he had come to tell the French to go back to
where they came from and leave the land of the
Indians. He wanted a guide to lead him to the French
fort, one hundred and twenty miles away. The Half
King heard him with pleasure. Their " English
brothers" were come to help them. He would guide
them himself, two other chiefs joining, while a noted
Indian hunter agreed to go with them.
As the travellers went on severe winter weather set
in. Rain and snow fell, the forest grew difficult, the
streams were hard to cross, and they were in need of
rest when they reached the first French post at Ve-
nango, at the mouth of French Creek. Here Captain
Joncaire, a polite and courteous Frenchman, was in
command, occupying the house of John Frazier, a
Scotch trader, whom he had driven away. The weary
travellers found here a warm fire and a bountiful meal,
Joncaire drinking liberally himself and letting out the
purposes of the French freely from his loosened
tongue. Secretly he tried to lure away the Indians
from Washington, but they were doubtful of French
promises and were quite ready to go on when the
journey was resumed.
Fort Le Boeuf, on the upper waters of the creek, was
reached on December 12. This was under the com-
mand of Legardeur de St. Pierre, the man who had
formerly succeeded Verendrye in his Rocky Mountain
quest. He was an elderly man, as courteous and pol-
ished as Joncaire, ready to treat his visitors with every
hospitality within his reach, but far from ready to
leave the fort.
He read Governor Dinwiddle's letter and wrote a
polite reply, in which he said he was a soldier, sent
there to obey orders, not to discuss treaties. He had
been sent there by the governor of Canada, and there
IN AMERICA 269
he meant to stay until ordered back. This letter was
delivered to Washington under seal.
While St. Pierre was writing his letter, Washington
was studying the fort, and gained so complete an idea
that he was able on his return to draw out a plan of
it, which was sent to England. Like Joncaire, St.
Pierre tried secretly to win away the Half King, a
man of great prominence among the Indians. Prom-
ises were made, presents given, but the chief kept to
his pledge. He knew the French too well to trust to
their fine words.
The time fixed for the return journey came, but the
snow was falling heavily, and Washington decided to
go down the creek by canoe, sending the horses
through the forest with the baggage. He found the
water route far from pleasant, the channel being ob-
structed by rocks and fallen trees, and broken by shoals
and dangerous currents. At places the ice had lodged,
and the canoe had to be carried to clear water below.
They reached Venango in six days, the winding water
route being one hundred and thirty miles long. The
horses reached there before them, but they were so
worn out by the forest journey that they were hardly
able to carry the baggage and provisions. After three
days' farther travel the poor beasts had become so
feeble, the snow was so deep, and the cold so severe,
that Washington decided to go on rapidly with Gist,
leaving the rest of the party to make their way more
slowly with the horses.
Dressed in Indian walking-costume, carrying a
knapsack containing his food and papers on his back,
and gun in hand, the young envoy trod onward
through the snowy forest; the older scout, similarly
equipped, by his side. Leaving the regular trail, they
set out on a direct track through the woodland, head-
270 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
ing for a point on the Alleghany some distance above
the Ohio. The forest journey was not without peril-
ous adventures. An Indian was met who agreed to
guide them, relieving Washington of the weight of his
knapsack. After they had proceeded ten or twelve
miles the savage wanted to carry his gun too, and grew
surly when Washington refused.
A few miles farther and the Indian fell back. Look-
ing for him they found that he had his gun aimed at
them. It was discharged as they looked.
" Are you shot ?" cried Washington.
" No," said Gist.
" Then after the rascal."
The Indian had taken shelter behind a large tree,
where he was hurriedly loading, but before he could
finish Gist was upon him with his gun at his shoulder.
" Do not shoot !" cried Washington. " We will gain
nothing by killing the man, but we must keep our eyes
on him."
The fellow was now made to go in advance, under
the guns of his followers, but as night approached they
let him leave them, he saying that his cabin was close
by. Gist followed him for some distance, that he might
not steal back on them. A half mile farther they built a
fire and took a short rest, but, fearing a return of the
savage during the night, they were soon away again
and travelled all night.
Resting through much of the following day, they
reached the Alleghany the next evening. To their dis-
appointment it was only partly frozen, the ice running
freely in the channel. When morning came the broken
ice was still sweeping past.
" There is nothing for it but to build a raft," said
Washington, and they were quickly at work.
Night fell before they had finished, but, not caring
IN AMERICA 271
to spend another night there, they launched the raft
and pushed from shore. It was a perilous journey,
their frail support being quickly jammed in the floating
ice and carried down the channel. Washington tried
to stop its motion with his setting pole, but in a
moment the ice struck the pole heavily and swept him
from his feet, he being hurled into the chill stream.
By good fortune he fell near enough to the raft to
catch and clamber upon it, but his clothes were drip-
ping with ice-cold water. Finding it impossible to
reach the shore, they were in the end obliged to leap
upon an island as the raft swept past its borders.
Here they were forced to spend the night without
shelter or fire, while the cold grew hourly more bitter.
Washington's young blood enabled him to escape
serious consequences despite his wetting, but Gist had
his hands and feet frozen. The next morning they
found that the cold had frozen the water between the
island and the eastern shore, and they were able to
walk across. In a few hours more they reached a
trading-post recently established near the spot where
eighteen months later Braddock suffered his memorable
defeat. Here they rested two or three days, until Gist
recovered the use of his hands and feet.
While here Washington paid a complimentary visit
to Queen Aliquippa, an Indian princess, who resided
at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogany
rivers. She had been displeased that he had not paid
her this mark of respect on his outward journey, but
an apology, seconded by a present, soothed the
wounded dignity of the dusky princess and the politic
traveller secured a gracious reception.
As there were no tidings of the remainder of the
party, Washington now hurried forward, crossed the
Alleghanies, and left his companion at his home on
272 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Will's Creek. And there Christopher Gist drops out
of history. Washington reached Williamsburg on
January i6, having been eleven weeks on his long
journey.
What followed is matter of ordinary history. A
party was sent to build a fort at the forks of the Ohio,
but it was hardly begun before it was captured by the
French. Later that year Washington advanced with
a force of militia and met and defeated a French de-
tachment in the woods. This was the first blow in a
war that lasted seven years, and ended in the loss to
France of all its possessions on the continent of North
America.
IN AMERICA 2.71
DANIEL BOONE, THE EXPLORER AND
SETTLER OF KENTUCKY
While pioneers from the east were slowly making
their way into the Ohio Valley, and building their
humble homes in its fertile plains, the great region of
the middle South lay unsettled and almost unknown.
There, beyond the mountains, lay the " dark and
bloody ground" of Indian warfare, a broad region in
which even the savages feared to dwell, and which
was abandoned to the marching feet of warlike bands.
From time to time daring pioneers invaded its soil.
Christopher Gist, as we have said, crossed the Ohio
and made his way down the Kentucky River. Dr.
Walker traversed the mountains, discovered Cumber-
land River, and in 1750 built a^ house or cabin in this
land of peril. Doubtless hardy hunters from time to
time sought game in the western forests. But all
these sink into insignificance before the exploits of the
great explorer and settler of the Indian battle-ground,
the famous Daniel Boone.
Born in the woodlands of Pennsylvania, Boone be-
came a hunter of wild game when a little boy, and
grew so fond of the woods that he once ran away into
the forest and v/as lost to sight for several days. He
was at length found in a hut of sods and boughs which
he had built, and around which hung the skins of the
animals he had killed. The love of the wilderness was
born in the boy. His father afterwards moved to
North Carolina, and Daniel grew to manhood in the
thickly wooded region near its western mountain- wall.
Here he married a girl whom he had once come near
18
274 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
shooting in the woods as a deer, and settled down
in a home of his own.
Boone was too ardent a hunter and adventurer to
take kindly to settled life. We have curious evidence
that he crossed the mountains to the region of Ten-
nessee as early as 1760, for his name was long after-
wards found carved, in primitive spelling, on an old
tree along the stage road in the valley of Boone's
Creek. The legend ran : " D. Boon cilled a Bar on
[this] tree in The year 1760."
These were pioneer movements, which left little im-
pression on the new-found land. Those who took part
in them became known as " long hunters," from their
habit of setting out on hunting excursions which kept
them absent for months. They were, moreover, in
Tennessee, south of the Indian wacrpaths. It re-
mained for Boone to penetrate the " dark and bloody
ground" and add the splendid vales and plains of Ken-
tucky to the range of the English settlements.
His long woodland life had made a man of the
type of Cooper's " Leatherstocking " of Daniel Boone.
Strong, robust, and sinewy, perfect in physical propor-
tions, and a dead-shot with the rifle, he was alert and
vigilant, daring as he was cautious, honest and kindly
by nature, hurnane in spirit, yet with a native love
of adventure which kept him constantly in the fore-
front of civilization, and exposed him to endless perils
from which he always escaped. Wary and shrewd as
were many of the Indians, the keenest of them were
no match for Daniel Boone, and he died at length in
his bed, after a life in which danger constantly tracked
his footsteps.
Boone's desire to seek Kentucky seemingly came
from the tales of a hunter named John Finley, who
had made his way thither and found it a very paradise
IN AMERICA 275
for game. No long time passed before Boone and
Finley, with several companions, were on their way
across the rugged wilderness which lay between them
and this land of promise. The momitain-range here
was wide and rough, and they met with many hard-
ships before, toiling unflinchingly onward, they looked
down from a final crest upon the fair land of which
they were in search.
To their eyes it was a realm of peace and plenty.
Herds of deer and droves of buffalo were in sight.
The woods were of luxuriant growth. All appeared
promising, for there was no sign of the dusky foe who
lurked in the hidden aisles of the forest. Making their
home in a rock-cleft, which was covered and concealed
by a large fallen tree, the half-dozen of " long hunt-
ers" spent there the summer and autumn, roaming the
woods, finding game in plenty, but nowhere seeing a
trace of the red-skinned natives of the soil.
Their freedom from danger, perhaps, made them
careless, for one day Boone and John Stewart, while
out hunting, suddenly found themselves surrounded
by a band of Indians. Escape was impossible, and they
were forced to yield themselves prisoners. For seven
days they were in the hands of their foes ; then one
night when the Indians, weary with the day's labors,
slept more soundly than usual, the alert woodsman
saw his opportunity, cautiously awakened his com-
panion, and the two crept away without disturbing
their slumbering captors. They made their way in
safety back to the camp, but Finley and the others were
gone. Probably they had been scared by the absence
of their companions and had made their way home.
Early the next year Boone and Stewart were again
attacked by Indians, and this time Stewart was killed.
Boone would have been left alone in the primeval wil-
276 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
derness but that just before he had been joined by his
brother, Squire Boone, and a companion. This com-
panion soon after strayed from the camp and never
returned. An Indian arrow may have winged his
fate, or he may have returned home.
Powder and shot, upon which the lives of the wan-
derers depended, were now running short, and it
seemed the part of wisdom for them to return. But
Daniel Boone was still in the hunting mood, and
in the end his brother went back for supplies, leaving
him alone in the wilderness. Only a man of extraor-
dinary fortitude would have taken this risk, and only
one of remarkable skill and discretion could have
passed through it alive. For three months the bold
hunter dwelt alone in the forest, shifting his camp
constantly to avoid the prowling foe, eluding his
enemies and tracking his game, unceasingly vigilant,
and withal, as he tells us himself, enjoying greatly this
solitary forest life. At the end of the three months
Squire Boone reappeared and the two brothers con-
tinued their work of exploring the land. When they
went home again, in 1671, they had an excellent
knowledge of it.
There is some reason to believe that Daniel Boone
had other purposes than mere hunting in thus spend-
ing two years in the wilderness. Southern Kentucky
was claimed by the Cherokee Indians, though other
tribes at times hunted in it, and forest battles were
not infrequent between the tribes. Colonel Henderson,
a noted character of the period, joined with several
others in a plan to purchase this country from the
Cherokees and establish there an independent State,
to be called Transylvania. It is thought that Boone
went there to observe the land as an agent of Colonel
Henderson and his company.
IN AMERICA 277
His report of the beauty and fertility of the land
and its abundance of game seems to have greatly
stirred up the neighboring settlers. There were great
political troubles at that time in North Carolina, due
to the revolutionary spirit of its people and the tyranny
of Governor Tryon, and many of them were ready to
seek a more peaceful home beyond the mountains. For
this reason colonists were not difficult to find, and
many made their way through Cumberland Gap into
Tennessee, a less dangerous section than Kentucky.
It is supposed that during his long absence Boone
visited the Cherokee chiefs and arranged terms with
them for the sale of this unsafe portion of their tribal
territory. Colonel Henderson afterwards met the
chiefs to conclude the bargain, smoked with them the
pipe of peace, and paid in merchandise for the land,
they giving him a deed for it. This done, steps were
taken to colonize the new territory, under the skilled
leadership of Daniel Boone.
A little party set out in 1773, consisting of six fam-
ilies, — Boone's and five others, — taking their household
goods with them on pack-horses, and driving their
cattle and swine. Unfortunately for them, prowling
Indians saw the party, and were incensed at this in-
vasion of their hunting-grounds. They attacked the
emigrant party in the rear, killed a number of them,
including Boone's youngest son, scattered their ani-
mals, and so discouraged the others that they turned
back and sought a safer abiding place in the western
part of Virginia.
During the next two years Daniel Boone was en-
gaged in surveying western lands for Virginia and in
Indian warfare, and it was not until 1775 that the
movement for colonization was resumed. A party of
men under Boone's leadership now made their way
278 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
through the wilderness to the banks of Kentucky
River, where a fort was built as a protection against
the Indians, — the fort of that day consisting of a few
strong block-houses at the corners of a defensive
square of pickets, within which were the cabins of the
settlers. This done, Boone went back for his family,
and a number of others returned with him to Boones-
borough, as the fort was called. The party consisted
of twenty-six men, four women, and a half-dozen of
children, who made their way through the broad pass
of Cumberland Gap. They did not all reach Boones-
borough, part of them stopping on the way and build-
ing a fort of their own. Boone's wife and daughter
were the first white women who ever stood on the
banks of Kentucky River.
Such were the preliminary steps towards the settle-
ment of Kentucky. Other settlers soon came, among
them the famous hunter, Simon Kenton, and the work
of taking possession of Kentucky was fairly begun.
One such party was establishing itself in a fertile sec-
tion when news was brought of the battle of Lexington
and the beginning of the Revolution. They at once
named their new settlement Lexington, and thus was
founded what is now the fine city of this name, in the
rich blue-grass region of the State of Kentucky.
These early settlers of Kentucky were all foresters
and hunters, men thirsting for adventure, and hard-
ened by their wild outdoor life to great powers of en-
durance. Always on the alert for the roving savages,
they became as keen in forest lore as the Indians
themselves, and far surpassed them in skill with the
rifle, in the use of which many of them became won-
derfully expert. Shall we describe the dress of the
pioneer hunters ? It consisted of fringed deerskin leg-
gings and hunting-shirt, the latter open in front and
IN AMERICA 279
held by a broad leather band at the waist. The tough
material of this dress was proof against the thorns
and briers through which they often had to force their
way. On their feet they wore the Indian moccasin,
soft in material and noiseless in tread, and on their
heads caps of raccoon skin, home-made, and with the
bushy tail of the 'coon dangling down over the left ear.
Over the shoulder hung a well-filled powder-horn,
at such an angle that it could be quickly seized for
loading or priming. Their principal weapon was the
heavy flint-lock rifle of that time, which an expert
hunter could load with great despatch and use with
such skill that he rarely missed his mark. While the
rifle was their favorite safeguard, a long hunting-knife,
heavy and keen-edged, hung in its sheath at their left
side and a hatchet, or tomahawk, at their right, the
latter being especially useful in cutting their way
through the forest undergrowth. Such was the aspect
of Boone and his associates when fully equipped for
war or the chase.
These pioneers found eternal vigilance the price
of liberty, and even of life. The few early settlers in
Kentucky were constantly in danger from bands of
prowling Indians. One early instance of this incessant
peril was the capture by Indians of Boone's daughter
and two other girls, who had incautiously ventured a
short distance from the fort. Night was near at hand
before they were missed. The distracted fathers were
obliged to wait till the next day's dawn. Then Boone
and some companions put themselves on the trail of
the savages, tracked them with unerring skill through
the forest, and came upon them where they had halted
to cook a meal. Startled by the bullets of the hunters,
which stretched some of them on the ground, the red-
skins fled and the captive girls were rescued. It was
28o HEROES OF DISCOVERY
probably long before they ventured beyond the walls
of the fort again.
This was but one among many adventures. The
war of the Revolution was now going on. and the
Indians were stirred up by the British to attack the
whites. On one memorable occasion Boone and a
party of others, while gathering salt at the salt-licks,
were captured by a raiding party of Indians and taken
by them to their homes, north of the Ohio. All of
these were ransomed by the English at Detroit except
Boone, who had grown so famous among the savages
that no price could buy him from them. He was fortu-
nately saved from torture by a chief, who adopted him
as his son, and lived in apparent content with the tribe
till he overheard them planning an attack on Boones-
borough. He now escaped, travelled one hundred and
sixty miles in five days, and reached the fort, to find
that his wife and children had given him up for dead
and gone back to North Carolina.
He found the fort neglected and in no condition for
defence, and made all haste to put it in order for an
attack. It came, four hundred and fifty Indians, aided
by some English allies, attacking the little force of
frontiersmen, about fifty in number, within the wood-
land fort. Fierce was the attack, valiant the defence.
The battle continued for nine days, when the Indians,
having lost heavily, gave up the attempt to subdue the
valiant fifty or capture the fort and withdrew in dis-
gust. Then Boone went back to his old home and
brought his family out again.
It was now 1780. The war with England was
near its end, the settlers in Kentucky were growing
steadily more numerous, and the " dark and bloody
ground" was fast ceasing to deserve this epithet.
There were still troubles at times with the Indians, and
IN AMERICA 281
Boone had his share of new adventures, but after
twelve years more of residence there Kentucky was
getting too safe and thickly settled for the old hunter.
The chief cause of his new movement, however, was
that he was robbed of his land by speculators, who dis-
covered that his papers were not drawn up in legal
form, or in some way had flaws in them.
Leaving his home in disgust, he dwelt for a time
in Virginia, and then, hearing of the rich land and
good hunting in Missouri, his pioneer blood became
astir once more and he migrated to this new soil, then
under Spanish rule. The Spanish authorities, aware
of the reputation of the old hunter, made him military
commander of his district and granted him ten thou-
sand arpents (eight thousand five hundred acres) of
knd. But of this he neglected to record or secure his
title, and when Missouri was acquired by the United
States Boone once more found himself robbed of his
land. This injustice, however, was set aside through
the influence in Congress of the Kentucky Legislature,
and the title of the old pioneer was made good. He
was then nearly seventy years of age but still an ardent
hunter. Years afterwards, when he was eighty-four,
a hale and hearty veteran, a trapper saw him returning
home from a hunt with sixty beaver-skins.
Only once did he return to the State of which he
was the explorer and pioneer settled, and in which
as he tells us, he had lost so much. He says : " I may
say that I have verified the words of the old Indian
who signed Colonel Henderson's deed. Taking me by
the hand at the delivery thereof, ' Brother,' he said,
* we have given you a fine land, but I believe you will
have much difficulty in settling it.' My footsteps have
often been marked by blood, and therefore I can truly
subscribe to its original name. Two darling sons and
282 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
a brother have I lost by Indian hands, which have also
taken from me forty valuable horses and abundance
of cattle. Many dark and sleepless nights have I been
a companion for owls, separated from the cheerful
society of men, scorched by the summer's sun, and
pinched by the winter's cold, an instrument to settle
the wilderness."
Death came to the aged pioneer in 1820, in his
eighty-sixth year. He was buried in a cherry-wood
coffin, made and polished by his own hands in his
Missouri cabin. Some thirty years and more later this
coffin was drawn in state through the main street of
Frankfort, Kentucky, the remains of the famous pio-
neer being brought home to the State with which his
name was so closely associated, to repose in honor in
the public cemetery of its capital city,
IN AMERICA 283
JONATHAN CARVER AND HIS SEARCH
FOR THE PACIFIC
In the days of which we are writing there was a
Connecticut Yankee, Jonathan Carver by name, who
was inspired by large ideas and made a strong effort
to carry them out. He did not accompHsh much or
add a great deal to our knowledge of geography, yet
he won a name among the explorers of the country
and we cannot pass him by.
Carver was a soldier in that war by which the
French lost their possessions in North America. After
the war was over he became filled with vast schemes of
discovery. The French had gone as far as the foot-
hills of the Rocky Mountains, but beyond these moun-
tains lay the great Pacific, and he developed a strong
desire to be the first to reach its waters by the trans-
continental route. He felt sure he could do so by
traversing the Great Lakes and then following the
rivers of the far West. He had access to the maps
made by the French explorers and the accounts written
by Hennepin and others, and these he carefully read
and studied to prepare himself for his project of com-
pleting their labors.
What he wanted to do first was to learn the width
of the continent and the best routes across it. Then,
if he reached the Pacific, he intended to ask the Eng-
lish government to establish a seaport on its coast and
make it a basis for seeking the trade of the Indies by
the transpacific route. He said that, if any available
line of travel was found or could be made across the
continent, it would be far easier to reach Asia directly
284 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
from a Pacific port than by sailing over the long,
roundabout way by the Strait of Magellan or the Cape
of Good Hope. It would also, he said, " promote
many useful discoveries" and open up new sources of
trade. Thus Carver deserves the credit of being the
first to set before the English people the luminous
idea of going to Asia by first crossing the American
continent, an idea that has been put into effect very
profitably in our own days.
Such was Carver's plan ; now let us see what he
did to realize it. It must be said that his ambition ran
far ahead of his results. Making his way by the route
of the lakes to Mackinac, the most northwestern Eng-
lish post, he set out from that place in September,
1766, going with some Indian traders, who were on
their way to the Sioux country by the old route fol-
lowed by Marquette, — that from Green Bay by way
of the Fox and the Wisconsin Rivers. He proposed
to take Hennepin's path up the Mississippi as far as
the Falls of St. Anthony and make this his starting-
point into the wild West.
The Falls were reached on the 17th of November,
and here he was surprised and interested in the actions
of his Indian guide. That devout and superstitious
savage began by chanting in his native tongue an
earnest invocation to the Spirit of the Waters. As he
sang he stripped off his ornaments and threw them as
offerings into the stream. First went his pipe, then
his tobacco, then the bracelets from his arms, then his
earrings and necklace, his chant of praise to the God
of the Falls only ceasing when he had made sacrifice
of everything precious he possessed.
Carver's journey up the Mississippi ended at the
St. Francis River. From here he turned southward
to the mouth of the St. Peter's (now the Minnesota)
IN AMERICA 285
River, up whose ample current he proposed to make
his way into the depths of the great West. He was
here in the vicinity of the site of the modern city of
St. Paul, a locality which he looked upon as the
pivotal region of the north Mississippi Valley. He
believed that access could be had from this region by
waterways in all directions. Southward the great
river led to the Gulf of Mexico. Northward he fan-
cied that a practicable waterway might be made to
Hudson Bay, and eastward one to New York, follow-
ing the Great Lakes. Westward he hoped to go up the
St. Peter's and reach an easy portage or a central body
of water leading to a stream by which the Pacific
might be reached.
His fancy was filled with speculative ideas of the
flow of streams to the north, south, east, and west,
and in one of his maps he places, close by the source
of the Mississippi, a small lake, out of which flows the
" Origan" River. This grows, in its passage west-
ward, into the great river of the West, which enters
the Pacific near the Straits of Aman, an imaginary
northwest passage invented by the map-makers of that
period.
After Carver's death, his heirs declared that he had
purchased from the Sioux Indians all that pivotal tract
of land, including the site of the city of St. Paul.
They brought suit to recover this territory from the
government, but the evidence which they presented in
support of their claim was judged to be insufficient;
and after resting long before Congress the claim was
finally disposed of by an adverse decision in 1823.
Returning from this digression, let us follow the
traveller in his journey. Turning up the St. Peter's,
or Minnesota, he followed it, as he tells us, for a dis-
tance of two hundred miles. He was now in the heart
286 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
of the Sioux country, the season of frost was upon
him, and he spent the chill months of the winter in the
villages of this warlike nation.
He was still on the threshold of his journey, but
adverse fortune here brought it to an end. He had
purchased a supply of goods at Mackinac, to be sent
after him and used as gifts to insure him a safe con-
duct through the various tribes to be met on his route.
For some reason these essentials of Indian travel
failed to appear, and he was obliged to give up his
western trip. He returned to the Prairie du Chien,
then the great trading mart of the Western Indians.
Thence reaching Lake Pepin, where he halted for a
time, he ascended the Chippewa, made a portage to
the St. Croix, and descended to Lake Superior. He
finally reached home after an absence of two years and
five months and a journey, as he says, of seven thou-
sand miles.
Years afterwards, in 1774, Carver laid plans to re-
new his effort, proposing again to follow the St.
Peter's, to cross from this to the Missouri, ascend the
latter to its head-waters, cross the mountains, and
make his way by the " Oregon, or River of the West,
on the other side the summit of the dividing high-
lands," to the ocean he sought. His plans were broad
and ambitious, but the war which broke out between
England and her American colonies prevented him
from putting them into effect.
Carver wrote an account of his travels, but this was
not published until ten years after his return, the
British government refusing him the desired permis-
sion to publish it. An interesting feature of the map
that accompanied this account is that in it the name of
Origan is used as the title of the great river supposed
to flow from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific.
IN AMERICA 287
No doubt he got this name from the Sioux during his
seven months' life among them. Many years before
they had told Father Charlevoix, a French missionary
who visited them, that if he should go up the Missouri
as far as it would take him, he would find the waters
of another great river which ran westward to the sea.
But Charlevoix gives no name to this river, and
the origin of the word Oregon, now the name of the
great State through which the river runs, we owe to
Jonathan Carver.
Carver posed as a prophet as well as a discoverer.
He saw a great future for the ]\Iississippi Valley and
the lands to the far west, and expresses his opinion in
the following eloquent words :
" To what power or authority this new world will
become dependent, after it has arisen from its present
uncultivated state, time alone can discover. But as
the seat of empire, from time immemorial, has been
gradually progressive towards the west, there is no
doubt but that at some future period mighty kingdoms
will emerge from these wildernesses, and stately pal-
aces and solemn temples, with gilded spires reaching
the skies, supplant the Indian huts, whose very deco-
rations are the barbarous trophies of their vanquished
enemies."
Such was Jonathan Carver's statement of that be-
lief which had earlier been condensed by Berkeley into
the aphorism, " Westward the Star of Empire takes its
way." Had he lived until our day he would have seen
his prophecy fulfilled with a completeness doubtless
far transcending his wildest dream. .
288 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
LEDYARD AND GRAY, AND THE DIS-
COVERY OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER
We have described several attempts to reach the
Pacific by overland travel, including the unsuccessful
one of Jonathan Carver and the successful one of
Alexander Mackenzie. After the time when Sir Fran-
cis Drake coasted along the shores of California and
Oregon and named the land New Albion two centu-
ries passed before another naval exploring expedition
sought those waters. Then, in 1776, while England
was fighting with her American colonies, two ships
were sent to this coast on a voyage of discovery, under
the command of the famous Captain James Cook. The
Spaniards of Mexico were then working their way up
the coast, and England wished to get the start of them
and gain possession of any large rivers or good har-
bors in that quarter, and Captain Cook was sent for
this purpose.
Cook made important discoveries in the Pacific, in-
cluding the Sandwich Islands, to which he gave this
name. He reached the American coast in 1778 and
sailed northward, keeping the shore in sight so far
as the winds and waves permitted, but failing to see
either the Columbia River or the Straits of Fuca. In
fact, he reached the coast north of the Columbia. The
only harbor he found was that of Nootka Sound, on
Vancouver Island, where his ships were overhauled
and put in trim for a sail into the Arctic seas. He
found the Nootka people friendly, but they were not
afraid of the noise of his cannon and many of them
had iron tools and ornaments of brass and silver. All
IN AMERICA 289
this showed that white men and their ships were no
strangers to them, and that trading or other vessels
had passed that way. Cook kept on till he sighted
Mount St. Elias, when he knew that he was in Rus-
sian territory. He headed north still, till he passed
through Bering Strait and into the Arctic Ocean.
Thence he made his way back to the Pacific and to the
Sandwich Islands, where he was killed by the treach-
erous natives.
There were two men with Captain Cook of whom
we must speak. One of these was a midshipman
named George Vancouver, who came back to those
waters in 1792 as captain of the ship " Discovery."
He, too, failed to find the Columbia River, but gained
the honor of having the large Vancouver Island named
after him.
The other of these men, John Ledyard, a native of
Connecticut, and a corporal of marines under Captain
Cook, is of more interest to us. He was a man full
of activity and love of exploration, to which his whole
life was given. After his return to England in 1778,
he was sent on a warship to America, but rather than
fight against his native land he deserted. The war
over and America free, his mind became filled with
broad dreams of empire. When on Cook's vessel he
had observed and noted everything of interest he saw,
and he was sure that the land between the Rocky
Mountains and the Pacific was not the narrow strip
then shown on the maps, but a broad area which might
one day become part of the United States.
He also saw in his mind's eye a mighty commerce
from that region. Cook's sailors had obtained from
the Nootka natives many valuable furs in exchange
for cheap trinkets, and had sold in China one-third of
their cargo of water-rotted sea-otter skins for ten
19
290 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
thousand dollars. Why should not an American ship
be sent out to gather and trade in these skins? Full
of enthusiasm, he sought the merchants of New York
and Philadelphia, but his tales seemed visionary to
these hardheaded men, none of whom saw anything
but wild fancy in his schemes. Then he went to
France, where he did his utmost to enlist some one in
his plans, but equally in vain. His idea filled him day
and night. " I die with anxiety," he said, " to be on
the back of the American States, after having pene-
trated to the Pacific Ocean."
Among those sought by Ledyard was Thomas Jef-
ferson, then (1785) the United States Minister to
France. The enthusiast haunted his office, and one
day Jefferson said to him : " Why not go overland
through Russia and Siberia, cross to Nootka Sound
in one of the Russian trading ships, and from there
make your way over the mountains and by way of the
Missouri into the United States."
It was an idea that Jefferson himself was to put
into effect, in later years, in the reverse direction. It
stirred up Ledyard, who was a man ready to undertake
any adventure, however difficult or dangerous. He
seized eagerly upon the project, only providing that
the Russian government should give its consent. This
was obtained, and the explorer set out on his im-
mense journey to far-off Kamtchatka. But he did not
succeed in getting there. After travelling with great
hardships well on to four thousand miles eastward
from St. Petersburg, he reached Irkutsk, in Siberia,
in January, 1787. Here were the head-quarters of
the Russian-American Company, that powerful fur-
hunting association which had a monopoly of the north-
western American trade. Distrustful of Ledyard's pur-
pose, and fearing to let this daring American enter their
IN AMERICA 291
secluded territory, they had him arrested as a spy and
obtained an order from the empress expelling him
from the country under penalty of death if he should
return. That ended Ledyard's connection with Amer-
ica. He went to London and was sent to Africa by
the African Association, but died of fever in Cairo at
the beginning of his journey of exploration.
Thus fell to nought the plans of one of the most
adventurous of men. Had he been granted a ship he
might have secured for the United States the whole
Pacific coast from Mexico to Alaska. A few years
later Mackenzie reached the Pacific at the Straits of
Fuca and gained for Great Britain the northern sec-
tion of this territory.
Americans, however, had been there before. In
1787, while Ledyard was being banished from Siberia,
some Boston merchants awoke to the value of his
plans, and formed a partnership to engage in trade
Ijetween the western American coast and China. This
led to important results, as we shall seek to show.
The company of merchants fitted out two ships, the
" Columbia," of two hundred tons, commanded by Cap-
tain Robert Gray, and a small, sloop-rigged vessel, the
" Washington," of ninety tons, under John Kendrick,
the latter a sort of tender to the former. They were
laden with goods likely to be valued by the Indians,
which they were to trade for furs, sell the furs in
China, and load up with tea to be sold at home. The
project, from a commercial point of view, seemed a
promising one.
At the mast-heads of the " Columbia" and " Wash-
ington" floated a flag never yet seen in the distant
waters to which they were bound, the " Stars and
Stripes" of the new republic; and for fear it might
be questioned, the captains carried passports from the
292 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
United States authorities. It seems an odd thing to-
day that the American flag should ever have needed
such a protection.
The company had more in mind than a simple
trading voyage. They wished to establish a perma-
nent trade, in competition with the Hudson Bay Com-
pany, and instructed Gray and Kendrick to buy land
from the Indians, build storehouses or forts, or take
other means to secure possession. There was a long
strip of coast of which next to nothing was known,
and the far-sighted merchants wished to gain this for
themselves or their country.
The two vessels, sailing by way of the Strait of
Magellan and up the west American coast, in the track
of Drake, reached Nootka Sound in the latter part of
1788. Here they began an active commerce with the
Indians, exchanging their wares for the furs possessed
by the natives till the " Columbia " was well laden
with those valuable goods. On her departure, the
" Washington" was left, its captain occupying himself
in cruising in the adjoining waters and up the Straits
of Fuca, and buying large tracts of land from native
chiefs. Copper coins and medals struck for this pur-
pose formed part of the price paid the natives for their
territory.
Meanwhile the " Columbia" reached the port of
Canton, disposed of her furs to the Chinese, bought
teas with the cash received, and set sail for home and
a market. Rounding the Cape of Good Hope and
sailing north through the Atlantic, she reached her
starting-point in Boston harbor in August, 1790.
While by no means the first to circumnavigate the
globe, she had been the first to carry the American
flag around the earth and to show the star-spangled
banner in the antipodes.
IN AMERICA 293
Seventeen years before this time a shipload of tea
had sailed into Boston harbor to meet with anything
but a welcome, for its cargo had been tossed overboard
by the indignant citizens, and Boston harbor converted
into a gigantic kettle of tea. The " Columbia" met
with a very different reception. As she sailed up the
harbor, with the starry flag at her peak as it had floated
there when she set sail nearly three years before, she
was saluted by welcoming cannon; while the people,
learning what vessel had come, rushed to the wharves
with shouts of greeting. And thus, to the cheers of
the Bostonians and the boom of cannon, the " Colum-
bia" rounded in to her wharf, with the flag that had
crossed all seas and been shone upon by all suns still
floating proudly from her mast-head. In addition to
her ship's company she brought with her the crown
prince of the Sandwich or Hawaiian Islands, Captain
Gray having persuaded the king to send his son on a
visit to the United States.
Successful as this voyage had been, the second voy-
age of the " Columbia," which was soon after under-
taken, was much more successful from the point of
view of discovery, for it led to the finding of the great
river of the West, never hitherto seen, and its existence
only conjectured. In the summer succeeding his re-
turn, Captain Gray was off again, bound for the Pacific
coast of America. As he sailed up the Oregon shore
line he came in sight of a broad estuary, which he felt
sure was the mouth of a large river ; but the surf broke
so violently over its seeming outlet that he did not
venture to cross the surging billows.
Farther up the coast he met with Captain Van-
couver, of the " Discovery," and told him of his find.
Vancouver threw doubt on the story. He had been
along that coast from Cape Mendocino to Nootka
294 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Sound, and had searched carefully for the river sup-
posed to be there, but had seen no trace of it. This
doubt seems to have disturbed Captain Gray. After
parting with Vancouver he headed south again, deter-
mined to settle the disputed question. He had marked
the latitude of the place on his log, and on reaching
the spot he saw again the wildly breaking surf and
the broad inlet, several miles across, that lay within.
Surf or not, he was bound to enter it now. With all
sails set the gallant " Columbia" dashed into the threat-
ening billows, crossed them without difficulty or dan-
ger, and soon was afloat in a broad, smooth basin, on
whose waters no ship had ever floated before. Up the
wide estuary, from three to seven miles broad. Captain
Gray carried his ship, soon finding the stream to grow
narrow, and sailing up it for fourteen miles before he
stopped and let fall his anchor. As he went upward
the natives pushed out from the banks in their canoes,
keeping pace with the great ship as it glided along the
stream and looking upon it with wonder and awe.
Gray gazed proudly about him. He was on the
waters of a splendid and unknown river, and naturally
felt highly elated with his discovery, whose importance
he was well fitted to estimate. History gives us a very
brief story of this stream, which various mariners had
passed without seeing. The first to conceive its exist-
ence was a Spaniard named Heceta, who passed its
northern headland in 1775, naming it Cape St. Roque.
All he saw of the river is indicated in the remark,
" These eddies of the water caused me to believe the
place is the mouth of some great river."
Taking his word for it, some Spanish map-makers
placed a river at this point, naming it the St. Roque.
In 1788 the British Captain Meares, who had seen
these maps, sailed that way and looked out for the
IN AMERICA 295
river. He rounded the cape and ran into the inlet, but
he saw nothing there but a wide tumble of breakers
and was convinced that no river was near. He signi-
fied his feeling by renaming the headland Cape Disap-
pointment. The opposite point Gray named Cape
Adams.
Captain Gray was thus the first to make an actual
discovery of the river, as he was also the first to sail
up its waters. He gave it the name of his ship, the
Columbia, and the Columbia River it remains. As a
token of taking possession of it in the name of the
United States, he buried some pine-tree shillings at
the foot of a tree. Then up went the anchor and
away went the " Columbia," followed by the wonder-
ing gaze of the Indians. She had been afloat on the
waters of the largest river, after the Yukon, on the
Pacific coast of America.
296 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
LEWIS AND CLARK, AND THEIR JOUR-
NEY TO THE PACIFIC
When the priest Marquette descended the Missis-
sippi and passed the mouth of the swift-flowing Mis-
souri, with its flood of turbid water, the desire arose
in his mind to ascend this great stream to its head-
waters. Others later than he felt the same impulse,
hoping by this route to reach the distant waters of the
Pacific and win fame as discoverers. We have de-
scribed the various efforts to realize this dream of the
adventurer, and propose now to tell how the dream
was at length made a living fact.
In 1803 President Jefferson was negotiating for the
purchase of the great Louisiana Territory from France,
and was naturally anxious to learn its extent and
character. As yet very little was known about it.
Twenty years before he had advised John Ledyard to
go to the Pacific and cross the continent from the west.
He now, as President of the United States, decided to
send out a party to cross the continent from the east,
completing the work which Verendrye had long before
undertaken, but had only partly completed. For this
purpose he selected his private secretary, Meriwether
Lewis, a young Virginian of much ability, to take
charge of the scientific work of the expedition. Wil-
liam Clark, a brother of the famous George Rogers
Clark, and a soldier who had seen much of Indian
warfare, was chosen for its military commander.
Much of the country which these pioneers were to
explore was unknown. The French had made their
way as far as the Yellowstone River and the Black
IN AMERICA 297
Hills, but their story was vague and incomplete, and
nearly all that men knew of it was that it was the
home of wandering tribes of Indians, who roamed
about in savage freedom like the Arabs of the desert,
and of countless buffaloes, which supplied the natives
with abundant food. What obstacles would be met,
what hardships endured, what marvels of nature dis-
covered, no one could tell ; but Captains Lewis and
Clark were men of courage and enterprise and fron-
tiersmen of experience, and no better selection of lead-
ers could have been made.
The party that set out, full of hope and enthusiasm,
included thirty men in all, there being besides the
leaders nine young Kentucky backwoodsmen, fourteen
soldiers, two French boatmen, a hunter, an interpreter
familiar with Indian speech, and a negro servant. The
government provided a boat fifty-five feet long, draw-
ing three feet, and carrying a large square sail and
twenty-two oars. It was decked at bow and stern and
open amidships, like the caravels of Columbus. In
this craft the party floated down the Ohio and ascended
the Mississippi, reaching St. Louis in the autumn
months of 1803. The country west of the Mississippi,
though purchased by the United States, was still under
Spanish officers, and the party encamped on the oppo-
site side of the river. There they spent the winter, en-
gaged in drilling the men for possible Indian fighting,
and in preparing their stores for easy carriage. These
included, besides their clothing and implements, a
variety of goods taken as presents for the Indians,
such as trinkets, tools, weapons, and gaudy articles
of clothing, well fitted to charm their savage souls.
Not until May of the next year was the river in
condition for a resumption of the journey. The party
had now to ascend the swift Missouri, a much more
298 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
toilsome task than the easy descent of the Ohio. Boats
had been obtained to carry their stores, and the expedi-
tion now consisted of five boats in all, while two horses
kept pace with them along the bank, carrying the game
daily procured by the hunters. Their usual day's
journey was from ten to twenty miles, while every
night they fastened their boats to the shore and
camped on the banks of the river.
The long river voyage was marked by many diffi-
culties and mishaps. Here a boat would ground on
a hidden sand-bar, there floating trees would carry
danger in their course. The savages met with, how-
ever, gave no trouble, a few presents and some soft
words winning their hearts. Here and there a side
stream poured its waters into the main current, the
Osage, the Kansas, and the Platte being thus passed.
In July the country of the Otoe Indians was reached.
A council was held with the chiefs of this tribe, who
agreed to accept the friendship and protection of their
" great white father," the President. The place where
the council was held has since been known as Council
Bluffs, a city now standing where the chiefs and the
pioneers met in amity.
The villages of the Mandans, the so-called " White
Indians," known since the days of Verendrye, were
reached at the end of October. At this point, sixteen
hundred miles above the Mississippi River, it was pro-
posed to spend the winter. The real difficulties and
dangers of the trip lay before them, and a season of
rest from their labors was needed before venturing
into the upper waters.
As with the Otoes, a council was held with the chiefs
of the Mandans, who were given the same assurance
of the friendship of their " great white father" and
well supplied with presents, including flags and
IN AMERICA 299
feathers, uniforms and medals, some of these bearing
the President's picture. Presents were also given to
the people, tlie one that pleased them most being a
mill for grinding their corn, the usefulness of which
appealed to them. The winter was spent in exploring
the surrounding country, making maps of the region
tjraversed, and collecting specimens of plants and
minerals. These were packed and sent to President
Jefferson.
In April, 1805, the party was ready to make a fresh
start and face the dangers that confronted them. Only
the hardiest and strongest men were now retained, the
weaker ones being sent home. The task before them
needed vigor and endurance. It was known that the
stream would grow narrow and shallow as they ad-
vanced, and its banks might be haunted by predatory
tribes against whom it would be necessary to keep
strictly on guard. The Mandans told them that far
away they would come to a deep, wild gorge, down
which the whole river plunged with a thunder-like
roar, while in a dead tree above the cataract an eagle
dwelt fearlessly amid its rising mists.
The journey proved as difficult as they had ex-
pected. Here were shallow reaches over which the
boats had to be pushed with poles ; here were rapids
up which they had to be dragged with tow-lines. On
several occasions bears were met, dangerous fellows,
from which Captain Lewis made two narrow escapes.
The hunters kept the party well supplied with venison
and buffalo meat.
For two months they pushed on westward, passing
the mouths of the Little Missouri and the Yellowstone,
and on the 26th of May gained their first distant view
of the Rocky Mountains. By the end of the month
they were passing the Black Hills and toiling onward
300 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
along a very swift stream, its bed at points rocky and
dangerous, at others broken by shallows, through which
the boats had to be dragged with severe toil.
While the men were thus engaged, the commanders
were actively prospecting, taking care always to carry
their trusty rifles. Few savages had been met since
the Mandan settlement was left, but hostile Indians
might at any time be encountered, and in this case a
rifle was likely to prove a useful companion. From
the elevations the prospectors gazed with wonder on
enormous herds of buffaloes, grazing over the wide
plain, with deer and antelopes at times coursing in
swift flight. Now and then they saw traces of an Indian
camp, but the native population seemed very small.
Yet discipline was not relaxed, sentinels being posted
around the nightly camps, and strict precautions taken
against possible ambush and attack.
Thus toiling upward and onward, at length the
party reached the junction of two rivers so nearly
alike in size that it was difficult to decide which was
the parent stream. The men pronounced in favor of
the northern fork, with its deep and turbid waters.
The captains, for engineering reasons, thought that
the main stream was that to the south. To avoid the
risk of going wrong the party divided. Captain Lewis
and a few men ascending the southern. Captain Clark
with the others trying the northern branch. The great
falls could not be far distant, and the discovery of
these would settle the question.
For three days Captain Lewis advanced, then seem-
ingly miles away a faint roar met his ears. As he
went on a dim cloud of mist was seen, while the sound
grew louder. A few hours of further travel brought
him to the brink of the great cataract of which he had
been told.
IN AMERICA 301
The first white man ever to stand where he now
stood, he gazed with the pride of a discoverer and the
delight of a naturahst on the scene. Its grandeur
and beauty were such that he forgot all things else
in admiration of its sublimity, and first awoke to a
true sense of the situation when he saw a huge brown
bear lumbering along towards him. The bear looked
warlike, Lewis's rifle was unloaded, the situation was
critical, and without hesitation he leaped into the
stream. Bruin followed to the water's edge, as if
with intent to plunge in after him, but a few minutes
later he turned and waddled away, much to the relief
of the startled explorer.
One of the men was now sent after Captain Clark
and his party with the story of the find. They arrived
in a couple of days and the journey up the stream
was resumed. The cataract upon which Captain
Lewis had gazed was but the termination of a long
series of cascades and rapids fifteen miles long, past
which it was necessary to drag the boats and baggage,
rude vehicles being made for the purpose.
It was a wearisome task in that rocky country, and
in the end proved fruitless, for the boats were unfit
for the shallow and broken stream above the rapids,
and canoes hewn from the river-side trees had to be
made, tough and capable of bearing the wear of the
rocks. In these they made their way onward, reaching
on the 19th of July that marvel of nature known as
the " Gate of the Rocky Mountains," a frightful
canon five miles long, where the waters rush through
a deep gorge with mountain-walls a thousand feet
high.
Pushing steadily onward, they next came to a three-
fold division of the stream, three branches of equal
size pointing off like so many fingers through the
302 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
untrodden wilderness. These streams they named
Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin, after the President
and two members of his Cabinet. They took the west-
erly fork, that named Jefferson, to be the true Missouri,
and followed it up to the head of canoe navigation in
the mountains, three thousand miles by the winding
stream from where they had embarked on its waters
a year and a half before.
Thus the head-waters of the Missouri were reached
and the first part of their work ended, the task set by
so many adventurers being at length accomplished.
But these daring men felt that their enterprise was but
half completed. They were now in the heart of the
mighty mountain-chain of the West, peaks looming
up before them for many miles. Beyond these must
be the springs of the western river they sought, the
Columbia, seen at its Pacific outlet by Captain Gray,
but quite unknown in its upper course. To reach and
descend it was their earnest desire.
Scouts were sent out in search of Indians who
could guide them over the divide, but none were to be
found. A trail was followed upward, but it was soon
lost in narrow and stony defiles up which no horses
could go. To ascend them on foot seemed next to
impossible. But they must be crossed, and Captain
Lewis set out with two men to do so, leaving the
others encamped in the hills, and saying that he would
not come back until he had found guides. Up the
rugged hills he clambered, and on the 12th of August
reached the mountain-brook in which the Missouri
begins its long flow.
Thence upward still he went till he stood on the
summit of the dividing ridge, the water-shed of the
mighty mountain-range, and saw before him a long
succession of lofty summits. Descending the oppo-
IN AMERICA 303
site slope, he had not gone a mile before he came upon
a small stream of clear water flowing westward. Un-
known to him, it was one of the sources of the river
he sought, and within a few hours he had drunk of
the waters of the two great rivers of the east and the
west.
Keeping onward down the stream, he came to a
village of the Shoshone, or Snake, Indians. They
gazed on him with astonishment. Never had they
seen the face of a white man before, and when he
made them understand that he had crossed the moun-
tains without guides they would not believe him. But
some of them agreed to go back with him, and were
still more surprised when they saw his companions
and learned that his story was true. It was little more
than a hundred years ago, and yet the advent of a
party of white men in this now well-settled region was
as great a marvel to their dusky souls as though they
had come down from the moon.
The stream which Captain Lewis had found, they
said, grew into a large river and ran on till it came
to the great waters far away. But no food could be
found along its course, canoes could not swim on its
rough current, and there were no paths along its
rocky banks. If they went on they would have to
take the difficult Indian trails and trust for food and
rest to the villages on the way. Only by the giving
of some and the promise of many more presents could
the Snakes be induced to supply them with guides and
horses for their toilsome and dangerous journey.
There is an interesting episode here to be told.
While at the Mandan settlement, the travellers had
rescued from the Minaterees, a neighboring tribe, a
Shoshone woman named Sacajawea, held among them
as a prisoner, and had now brought her to her own
304 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
people. She proved kind and intelligent and was use-
ful to them in various ways. Among those who had
come to the camp were her husband and brother,
and she was not only indispensable as an interpreter,
but by her influence greatly aided in inducing her
people to aid her new white friends.
It was a hard march that now lay before the pros-
pectors. There were steep hills to climb, narrow
paths to follow round precipitous heights, stony
canons to traverse ; but the wiry little Indian horses
were well trained in the work, and bore them onward
without accident. It took them nearly a month to
cross the mountains, often at such an elevation that
snow fell and water froze, even in that summer season.
There were days in which five miles seemed a long
journey, and others in which still less progress was
made. Hitherto they had obtained food in abundance,
but in these upland regions the hunters found game
very scarce. Many days they had only berries and
dried fish to eat, and half rations even of these.
When a horse gave out it was killed and eaten. They
were obliged even to buy dogs of the Indians for food.
Hunger, toil, and weariness robbed the men of their
spirit, and it was a ragged, foot-sore, and disheartened
band that at length left the hills and stood on com-
paratively level soil again.
Many mountain-streams were passed in their long
journey before they reached one which the red-men
said was safe to travel on. They called it the Koos-
kooskia. It now bears the more civilized name of
Clearwater River. They had traversed some four
hundred miles of hill country since they left their
boats at the head-waters of the Missouri.
The adventurers were now in the country of the
Nez Perce (pierced nose) Indians, and left here
IN AMERICA 305
their horses to be kept till their return, building
canoes for the river journey. From being bitterly
wearisome their work now became easy. Three days
brought them to a larger stream, which they named
the Lewis River, and seven days more to a still larger
one, which they named the Clark, the leaders of the
expedition being thus honored.
They were now on the Columbia itself, and soon
reached the Dalles, where the river breaks in wild rap-
ids and falls in its course through the Cascade moun-
tain-chain. The Indians here said they would have to
land and follow the portage round the falls. But the
daring leaders had no fancy for carrying their heavy
baggage over the rock trail and decided to take the risk
of running the canoes down the boiling waters. They
did it in safety, though not without moments of thrill-
ing danger, passed the still more perilous narrows be-
low, and were soon afloat in smooth waters again.
They had passed through a desolate and largely
deserted region. They were now in a land of plenty
and of numerous inhabitants. The natives here lived
on the salmon which at seasons thronged the stream.
As they went on the bows and arrows of the Indians
were replaced by fire-arms, showing that they were
in communication with the whites of the coast. Many
of them were w^arlike, traversing the river in great
canoes with carved images at stem and stern. Had
they proved hostile it would have been serious for
the small party of travellers, but those men, living and
dressing like the Indians themselves and knowing well
how to deal with them, had nothing to fear, and passed
on unmolested.
Tidal waters were at length observed ; the river
began to grow salty ; at length, on the 7th of Novem-
ber, the roar of distant breakers was heard ; they were
20
3o6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
at the end of their journey, more than four thousand
miles long. Cabins for their winter-quarters were
built on a small bay of the Pacific coast, the flag they
had brought waved over the settlement, and the win-
ter was passed in exploring the surrounding country.
The return journey began in March, 1806. Little
need be said about it, since the explorers traversed
mainly the route by which they had come. Abandon-
ing their boats at the foot of the Cascade falls, horses
were bought to carry them to the Nez Perce's country,
where they had left those that carried them over the
mountains.
Leaving the old track at this point, they journeyed
due east to the head of Clark's River and here
divided. Lewis led a part of the band across the
mountains to the head-waters of the Maria River,
while the remainder, under Clark, took a more south-
erly course and came out at the springs of the Yellow-
stone, in the vicinity of the wonder region of Yel-
lowstone National Park. Down these two streams the
parties floated to their place of rendezvous on the
Missouri. Their old winter-quarters near the mouth
of the Missouri were reached on May 22, the journey
home having taken little more than two months.
Thus was completed a memorable and important
journey, and the often-sought transcontinental route
was at last discovered, fourteen years after Mackenzie
had discovered a similar route in British territory.
Congress rewarded the explorers by large grants of
land in Missouri, making Lewis governor of Missouri
Territory and Clark general of its militia. Lewis had
always been inclined to melancholy, which grew on him
in the quiet of his new duties, his mind finally becom-
ing unbalanced. As a consequence, while on his way
to Washington in 1809, he committed suicide.
IN AMERICA 307
In 1905 the centennial anniversary of this famous
journey down the Columbia was celebrated by a mag-
nificent International Fair at Portland, the capital of
Oregon, in which the extraordinary progress of that
region during the century since the explorers found
it inhabited only by wild Indians was splendidly
shown. And in the centre of the ornate Columbia
Court was erected a heroic bronze statue of Saca-
jawea, the noble Indian woman whose faithful service
as a guide did so much to promote the success of the
Lewis and Clark expedition.
3o8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
ZEBULON M. PIKE, THE DISCOVERER
OF PIKE'S PEAK
In the year 1805 Zebulon M. Pike, then a Heuten-
ant in the United States service, was sent on a mission
to the upper Mississippi. A double mission it was,
geographical and political. He was to get an idea of
the lay of the country and to take possession of it in
the name of the United States. At this time, while
Lewis and Clark were making their way across the
continent to the Pacific, a region so near at hand as
that surrounding the head-waters of the Mississippi
was almost unknown, and many years more passed
before the sources of that great river were traced.
In fact, there was even peril that the region might
be lost to the United States, since the trappers of the
British Northwest Fur Company were making their
way into it. Pike warned them off the land and built
Fort Snelling as a protection, buying from the Indians
the necessary plot of ground.
Lieutenant Pike had shown such ability as an ex-
plorer during this expedition that the government at
once made him a captain and sent him out on a much
longer and more difficult mission. His route now lay
westward to the far-off sources of the Arkansas and
Red rivers, which streams he was to explore. A
second duty was to try and make peace between two
of the Indian tribes, the Osage and Kansas, which
were then at war. It was a region unknown, except
in so far as it had been traversed by Spanish scouts,
and Captain Pike had before him a work of no little
difficulty and danger.
IN AMERICA 309.
St. Louis, recently obtained from Spain and then the
western outpost of the United States, was the starting-
point of the expedition. It was at that time a town
of very modest dimensions ; the fur-trade its chief
reason for existence. Setting out in July, 1806, the
party made its way by the aid of boats and oars up
the Missouri, making an average of fifteen miles a
day; while the deer, bears, and wild turkeys which
the hunters of the expedition killed along the banks
supplied them with abundant food.
When the mouth of the Osage River was attained,
the boats made their way up this stream, the villages
of the Osage Indians being reached about the middle
of August. Here the party was obliged to leave the
water and make an overland journey to the Platte, the
region of the Pawnee tribe, which they had been
directed to visit. They were now on the extreme
outskirts of civilization, Peter Chouteau, a French
fur-trader, having a trading-house near the Grand
Osage Village, the last white man's habitation they
would find north of New Mexico.
Horses were bought from the Osage Indians, and
on the 1st of September, well mounted and in high
spirits, the party set out on its land journey, a large
escort of warriors accompanying their late honored
guests for some distance outward. The route lay at
first along the banks of the Osage, and then across
the plains to the Neosho, a northern branch of the
Arkansas. As he rode across the dividing ridge be-
tween the two streams, Pike gazed with deep delight
upon the scene that lay revealed before him, — that of
the green and treeless prairies of Kansas, which
seemed to him of enchanting beauty.
From the Neosho they rode to the Smoky Hill
River and thence to the Republican, two streams that
3IO HEROES OF DISCOVERY
flowed into the Kansas. On the waters of the Repub-
lican dwelt the Pawnees, whom Pike was bidden to
proffer peace and friendship. He found them in a
very different temper from the Osages. A tribe of
evil reputation, they had recently been visited by a
delegation from New Mexico, whose purpose was to
poison the minds of the Indians against the Ameri-
cans.
The Spaniards, three hundred in number, seemed
an imposing band in contrast with the paltry twenty-
three who followed Captain Pike into their villages,
and the Indian warriors, judging the power of each
nation by the size of its embassy, looked upon the
Americans with contempt.
There was evidently nothing to be done with them
while in this mood. In fact, they were not safe to
be among, and while Pike met their inhospitable looks
and words with a show of boldness, and hoisted the
flag of his country in their chief village, he found it
expedient not to tarry long in their midst. From
their settlements his road lay southward to the Arkan-
sas, which was reached on October i8. It was one
of the main objects of his journey to explore this
stream.
The party now divided. Lieutenant Wilkinson going
down the river to trace it through its lower course,
while Pike reserved for himself the far more difificult
task of following it upward to its mountain-springs.
These reached, he proposed to cross to the head-
waters of the Red River and descend this stream to
known regions at Natchitoches. His purpose was thus,
as may be seen, twofold, to explore the country and
gain the friendship of the natives.
His plans were broad, but they were destined not to
be realized, while a period of privation and suffering
IN AMERICA 311
which only the young and strong could have endured
lay before him. He was at this time only twenty-
seven years of age and robust enough to bear severe
hardships. As the small party went on the river
steadily sank in dimensions, growing narrow and
shallow as the vicinity of the mountains was reached.
Soon they were buried deeply among the Colorado
hills, while as they advanced lofty peaks rose in gran-
deur before them. The stream they were following
lost itself in the rugged range, and to find its upper
waters, and observe the surrounding country, Pike
turned northward among the hills. As he went on
they grew higher, and at length there loomed before
him a stupendous peak, soaring more than fourteen
thousand feet above sea-level, and with few rivals in
the whole mighty chain. It was the famous summit
since fitly known as Pike's Peak.
Climbing with no small toil to its frozen top, the
daring explorer had before him a grand view of roll-
ing hills and intermediate valleys, stretching for many
miles away, while to the eastward lay the great prairie
level. From that day to this the lofty summit has
been a place of pilgrimage to tourists, and many thou-
sands of eyes have gazed with delight and wonder
upon the matchless landscape then first unfolded
before the eyes of civilized man, — perhaps of all men,
for the Indians were little likely to climb its pre-
cipitous sides.
So far all had gone well, but now misfortune fell
upon the prospectors. Winter was upon them, — a
winter in the chill depths of the Rockies. Ice closed
the streams ; snow filled the passes. Leaving the
upper waters of the Arkansas, Captain Pike made
an active search for the sources of the Red River, but
in vain. He was fairly lost among the hills, and at
312 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
length the question of how to escape at all became
more potent than that of tracing the streams. Days
were spent in seeking to find the trail followed by
the Spaniards in their expedition to the villages of
the Pawnees, but the snow everywhere hid it. The
party went astray in the mountains, wandering to and
fro, often without food or shelter, their leader almost
alone retaining courage in their extremity.
The banks of a frozen stream were at length
reached, which Pike thought to be the one he sought.
But, men and animals alike exhausted and food nearly
gone, search was at an end, and the future of the ex-
pedition became a desperate struggle for life. Con-
vinced that the Spanish town of Santa Fe could not
be far away, the leader determined to give up his help-
less wanderings, encamp where he was, and send some
one in search of aid.
Dr. Robinson, one of the strongest among the party,
and a hunter of skill and prowess, volunteered for this
duty and set out through the hills. During his absence
the men were put to building a block-house for shelter,
while Pike, with his rifle, scoured the adjacent coun-
try in search of game. During one of these hunting-
trips he was surprised by the appearance of two horse-
men in Spanish garb, who rode up, saying that they
came from Santa Fe, where Dr. Robinson had safely
arrived. He was gratified to learn that the New
Mexican capital was but two days' journey distant.
Dr. Robinson, they said, would soon be heard from,
and they rode with him to his camp.
A few days after these men had left a squadron of
Spanish cavalry rode up to the block-house and in-
formed Captain Pike that the stream he was camped
upon was the Rio Grande, and that he was on Spanish
ground. The officer in command explained that he
IN AMERICA 313
had come to take him and his men prisoners. The
authorities of Texas and New Mexico had been
warned to be on their guard against the expedition of
Aaron Burr, whose purposes were mistrusted, and
they looked on Pike's expedition as an advance party
of a force designed for the seizure of New Mexico.
They were accordingly taken to Santa Fe as prisoners
of Spain.
Very probably the poor fellows were glad enough
to get there in any way, after their severe hardships
and the danger of death from cold and hunger which
confronted them. In their many leagues of wander-
ing they had lost all their bearings and were now far
south of the Mexican border. A sorry-looking crew
they were. Pike thus describes the aspect of himself
and his men:
" When we presented ourselves at Santa Fe I was
dressed in a pair of blue trousers, moccasins, blanket-
coat, and a cap made of scarlet cloth lined with fox
skins, and my poor fellows in leggings, breech-cloths,
and leather coats. There was not a hat in the whole
party. Our appearance was extremely mortifying to
us all, especially as soldiers. Greater proof cannot be
given of the ignorance of the common people here
than their asking if we lived in houses, or camps like
the Indians, or if we wore hats in our country."
However, they were not long held as prisoners. Pike
being able to convince the Spanish authorities that he
was out on an exploring expedition in his own country,
and that he had strayed blindly upon Spanish soil.
After a brief detention they were sent back by way
of El Paso, San Antonio, and Natchitoches to the
United States, an armed escort accompanying. The
latter place was reached July i, 1807. Pike's papers
had been taken from him, and he was obliged to de-
314 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
pend on memory In giving an account of his interesting
expedition.
His story of life and conditions in New Mexico is
interesting. The people lived in one-storied mud
houses with peat roofs; the great bulk of the popula-
tion being Indians or half-breeds. Not one in twenty
could boast Castilian blood. Santa Fe was about a
mile long, but only three streets in width, lying along
the banks of a mountain-creek. " Seen from a dis-
tance, I was struck with the resemblance to a fleet of
flat-boats floating down the Ohio in the spring." The
population was about four thousand five hundred.
Then, as now, New Mexico was a sheep-raising
country, and Captain Pike passed a flock of about
fifteen thousand of these animals, escorted by some
three hundred drovers and forty soldiers. They were
being sent to exchange for merchandise in other prov-
inces. One planter, at Paso del Norte, who enter-
tained Pike in his house, was the owner of twenty
thousand sheep and one thousand cows.
A few words must complete the interesting story of
Captain Pike. Made colonel in 1812, and brigadier-
general in 1 8 13, during the war with England, he
commanded the expedition against York (now
Toronto), in Canada. Landing April 27, 1813, he
carried one battery by assault and was moving on the
main works when he met his death through the ex-
plosion of a magazine. Pike's Peak remains as the
monument of his fame.
IN AMERICA 315
STEPHEN H. LONG AND THE SOURCES
OF THE PLATTE
The region west of the Mississippi was largely un-
discovered country when explored by Lewis and
Clark and Zebulon M. Pike in 1805-06. Its settle-
ment was well under way in 1819, when Major
Stephen H. Long was sent by President Monroe on
a similar expedition. Settlers were drifting into it in
scattered numbers, but the mountain-region had still
been little explored, and no easy passes through it
were known. The route followed by Lewis and
Clark was a formidable maze of difficulties. Cer-
tainly the whole vast chain was not so rugged as this.
Possibly the Platte might lead to an easier route than
that at the head of the Missouri, and it was partly to
settle this question that Major Long was sent out.
Twelve years had passed since Captain Pike re-
turned from a similar expedition, but in that time
civilization had made marked steps of advance. Pike
went up the Missouri in row-boats ; Major Long
went up it in a steamboat. This, named the " West-
ern Engineer," had been built for the purpose in Pitts-
burg, and took him as far up as Council Blufifs, where
he spent the winter in camp.
Pike had found the country an unsettled wilderness
except for the wigwams of the Indians. Long found
settlements springing up along the stream. They were
rude frontier settlements still, the outposts of the
coming army of settlers, prosperity being indicated
not by comfortable homes, but by greater size and
number of corn-cribs and other out-houses.
3i6 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
The winter passed, Long made his way up the
Platte, coming first to the Otoe villages, some forty
miles from the Missouri, and continuing until the
Pawnee country was reached. Pike had met an un-
friendly reception from this warlike tribe, but Long
found them in more peaceable mood. Yet there was
about them a spirit of savage independence such as
he had not before seen, and which commanded his
admiration. As the knights of old were used to hang
out their shields before their tents, so the Pawnee
warriors displayed theirs before their dwellings, as if
in defiance of foes.
On leaving the homes of this tribe, in a region to
which the white invasion had not yet reached, Long
led his party down the south fork of the Platte, and in
July, 1820, reached the mountains, nearly a thousand
miles away from the point where he had left the Mis-
souri at Council Bluffs.
His journey across the prairie region had not been
without interesting incidents, and was especially
notable for the multitude of wild animals met with,
of varied species, small and large. At one place a
large and beautiful village of prairie-dogs was passed,
and as they approached it a great herd of buffaloes,
several thousands in number, was seen, spread widely
over the plain. Near by the boatmen beheld a troop
of wild horses, careering swiftly over the level surface,
while close at hand a score or more of antelopes and
half as many deer stood gazing in wonder at the boats.
Sunset was near, and as its rays fell in long lines over
the grassy level the inmates of the prairie-dog village
were seen running playfully about. When the trav-
ellers drew nearer they fled to their burrows, where
they sat in upright defiance, giving the short, sharp
bark to which they owe their name.
IN AMERICA 317
The mountains entered, the party followed the Platte
deeply into their defiles, reaching on July 13 the lofty
elevation since known as Long's Peak. Dr. James,
the botanist and historian of the expedition, made his
way to the summit of this mountain, which rivals
Pike's Peak in height.
From this point the expedition turned to the south
until the head-waters of the Arkansas were reached.
They were now in the vicinity of Pike's Peak, and
some of them emulated its discoverer in ascending it
for the magnificent view from its summit. To the
west the mountains rose in billowy masses and lofty
peaks, while far eastward spread the vast plain they
had recently traversed, " rising as it receded until it
appeared to mingle with the sky."
The party here divided, some members of it descend-
ing the Arkansas, others making their way eastward
down the Canadian, its longest tributary, they coming
together again at Fort Smith, below the junction of
these streams. Their report of the country in the
upper waters of the Platte and the Arkansas was not
encouraging to intending settlers, it being made up of
sandy wastes unfit for the purposes of the farmer.
Wood was wanting, game was very scarce, and at
times the streams sank and vanished in the sands, so
that the explorers had to dig in their dry beds for
water. At one part of their journey they followed
the bed of the Arkansas for more than a hundred miles
without seeing water. It was a country doomed, in
their opinion, to perpetual desolation and barrenness, —
the " Great American Desert," as it long appeared on
the maps.
From Fort Smith, a new military outpost, the ex-
plorers followed the Arkansas downward to the Mis-
sissippi, visiting on their way the Hot Springs of the
3i8 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Washita, and at every step downward finding evi-
dences of the coming inflow of the whites, which in
time to come was to spread over the whole country
they had traversed and blot the Great American
Desert from the map of the United States.
In 1823-24 Major Long was sent on a second ex-
ploring expedition, this time to the upper Mississippi,
in which he ascended to the source of Saint Peter's
(Minnesota) River, visited the Lake of the Woods,
and explored other sections of the northern frontier
region.
Something may be said about the later career of
Major Long. He was chief-engineer in the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad survey, became a skilled bridge-
builder, and in 1856 was in charge of the work for
the improvement of the Mississippi. He died in 1864,
at eighty years of age.
IN AMERICA 319
JOHN C FREMONT, THE PATHFINDER
OF THE WEST
In 1842 there set out on a career of exploration in
the West one of the most famous of our heroes of
discovery, John C. Fremont, the " Great Pathfinder."
Fremont did some exploring work before that, and
had just helped J. N. Nicollet to discover the sources
of the Mississippi when he was sent by the govern-
ment on a mission of broader purpose. His work lay
now in the far West, and he was especially required to
survey the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains, which
was then the usual crossing-place of this great chain,
St. Louis had by this time expanded from a fur-
trading station to a good-sized town, and here Lieu-
tenant Fremont fitted out his expedition and selected
his men, about twenty in all, mostly Creole and Cana-
dian fur-hunters, men who knew the ways of the In-
dians and how to live in the wilderness. For guides
he chose the famous scout and hunter, Kit Carson,
and another well-known hunter named Maxwell, men
•who knew every foot of the country from the Mis-
sissippi to the mountains.
Hardy and knowing fellows were all those who set
out on that May day in 1842 for their real starting-
point, then a little hamlet on Kansas River, a landing-
place for Peter Chouteau, the fur-trader, now the site
of the bustling Kansas City. Up to this point they
had gone through a settled country, the outposts of
civilization having moved three hundred and fifty
miles westward since the days of Pike and Long.
As the little band of horsemen and mule teams, with
320 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Kit Carson for chief guide, set out for the deeper
West, it was to find that others had gone that way
before them and left the track of their wagon wheels
in the yielding soil. The route was marked out by
daring emigrants, and the cavalcade rode merrily on,
enjoying the freedom of the broad plain by day, pitch-
ing their tents at night within a circle made by their
wagons. They were now in the Indian country and
the savages were not to be trusted too far. Caution
was necessary. In fact, at one point a, fight appeared
imminent, a strong band of Arapahoe warriors riding
furiously on the little party with war-cries and bran-
dished weapons. Fortunately Maxwell, the hunter,
had traded with the tribe and hailed the chief in his
own language. The chief heard and knew him,
checked the warriors in their savage career, and rode
up to Fremont with welcoming hand.
Following the Kansas River for some distance, the
party then set out across country for the Platte, which
they were next to follow. They divided when the
forks of the river were reached, some of the men fol-
lowing the North Fork, while Fremont and the others
took the line of the South Fork. This they followed
almost to Long's Peak, where they turned northward
and joined the other party at Fort Laramie. This
was then a simple enclosure of adobe houses with
bastions and palisades, being one of the few remote
outposts in the wilderness.
So far the journey had been safe and with little
hardship or adventure, but the garrison at Fort Lara-
mie reported trouble ahead. Hostilities had broken
out between the Indians and the whites on the Platte,
the mountains before them swarmed with braves in
their war-paint, and the path was ordered closed. The
explorers would be in serious danger if they went on
IN AMERICA 321
before this hostile feeling quieted down. Four
friendly chiefs came to the fort and, finding that the
prospectors were striking their tents, advised them not
to set out, saying that bands of young warriors were
in the field and were hot for war. This warning had
very little effect on Fremont, who said to the chiefs :
" When you told us that your young men would kill
us you did not know that our hearts were strong, and
you did not see the rifles which my young men carry
in their hands. We are few and you are many and
may kill us, but there will be much crying in your
villages, for many of your young men will stay behind
and forget to return with your warriors from the
mountains. Do you think that our great chief will let
his soldiers die and forget to cover their graves?
Before the snows melt again his warriors will sweep
away your villages as the fire does the prairie in the
autumn. See, I have pulled down my white houses
and my people are ready; when the sun is ten paces
higher we shall be on the march. If you have any-
thing to tell us you will tell us soon."
This defiant speech was not what the chiefs ex-
pected. But they liked its boldness, and in the end
gave the party one of their warriors for a guide. That
evening the company was on the march again, Fre-
mont feeling that his warrior guide would be a safe-
guard against attack. As yet they had never been far
from traces of civilization, but the country which they
now entered proved a desolate and difficult one.
Though the Indians did not disturb them, nature
proved a threatening foe. Food grew scarce and the
country held little game. Starvation seemed threaten-
ing as they went on.
Fremont halted for a talk with his men. " We have
only ten days' food supply," he said, " I intend to
21
Z22 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
push on and take my chances, but I do not want to
lead any man into trouble, and any of you that wish
to may turn back." Not a man flinched. " When our
grub is gone we'll eat the mules," they said.
They were now in the Rockies and needed to travel
light-handed, so all their spare baggage was hidden
in the bushes or buried in the sand hills near the Wind
River, the traces of burial being smoothed down to
hide the place from the Indians. Thus lightened, they
moved rapidly forward and in a few days more found
themselves ascending a gentle slope. Hardly recog-
nizing the fact, they were in the place they had set out
to seek, — the splendid South Pass. Instead of rugged
heights and threatening gorges, a broad and gradual
pathway led upward. Farther on its summit level
was reached, and the waters thev met soon after ran
westward, showing that the water-shed was passed.
Soon a beautiful ravine was gone through, and beyond
it lay the charming Mountain Lake, " set like a gem
in the mountains." From this flowed a strong stream,
afterwards known to feed a branch of the Colorado
River.
The work they had set out to perform was done, but
in majestic grandeur near the pass loomed up a lofty
peak, which Fremont decided to ascend, if possible.
With a few of his men he set out, crossing the inter-
vening ridges and climbing the steep hill-sides with
the utmost difficulty but with irrepressible energy,
until the noble crest, 13,750 feet high, was reached,
and before them like a map lay outspread the vast
surrounding country. In one direction lay the lakes
and streams which feed the Colorado and send their
waters to the Gulf of California. In the other was
visible the charming Wind River Valley, its waters
flowing by way of the Yellowstone to the Missouri.
IN AMERICA 323
Far north rose the snowy top of the three Tetons, in
which the Missouri and the Columbia have their
springs. All around were mountain-walls, cliffs, and
gorges innumerable, rising and spreading in a thou-
sand forms of grandeur, and many of them whitened
with deep fallen snow. " We stood," said Fremont,
" where human foot had never stood before and felt
the thrill of first explorers." To-day this lofty eleva-
tion bears his name, as Fremont's Peak.
Their work was done, a splendid and easy pass
through the Rockies had been explored, through which
countless emigrants were to make their way westward
in the coming years. Collecting the specimens of
minerals and plants they had gathered, and regaining
their hidden stores, the party was soon back at Fort
Laramie, and shortly after set out for the East, filled
with the pride of success.
Most of the country which Fremont had visited was
already known to the emigrant. But it was not known
in any scientific sense. He made careful observation
of heights and distances, latitude and longitude, bar-
renness and fertility ; noted where grass, wood, and
water offered places for camping and settling; and
brought home with him an abundant collection of
mineral and vegetable specimens. He advised the
government to establish strong military posts at Lara-
mie and other places to keep the Indians in awe. And
he did much to dispel the false idea of the " Great
American Desert" which Major Long's report had
fostered.
The barren plains found by Long seemed full of the
elements of fertility to Fremont. Over these extensive
plains the buffalo roamed in enormous herds, finding
good grazing everywhere, and wild game of many
kinds was plentiful. Where these animals could live
324 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the cattle of the emigrants could find food and future
settlers would doubtless make their homes. Grad-
ually, in after years, the desert dwindled away on the
maps until it quite disappeared.
Such was the outcome of the first of Fremont's
explorations. He made several others, crossing the
mountains at various points, and traversing the coun-
try west of them far and wide, doing far more than
any other man in discovering the features of that great
country. And in doing this he was many times ready
to die of hunger, and only his indomitable perse-
verance brought him success. We cannot give these
later journeys in detail, but a brief account of them
will be of interest.
The government was so well pleased with his suc-
cess that it sent him out again the next year. This
was his longest and most important journey. He was
well on his way when orders were sent him to return
at once to Washington. Some enemy or rival there
had been working mischief for him. The order fell
into the hands of his wife, but she, suspecting what it
meant, held it back till he was too far away to be
reached. So his foes had wrought in vain.
Fremont made his way across the mountains again
and went on until he reached that marvel of nature,
the Great Salt Lake. This had been visited by others
before him, but he was the first to explore it. He had
travelled seventeen hundred miles in four months, and
before winter set in made his way north to the Colum-
bia, which he followed far towards its mouth. At
every point careful observations and surveys were
made.
Fremont had now done all he had been ordered to
do, but he was far from satisfied. The vast region
which lay west of the Rocky Mountains was almost
IN AMERICA 325
unknown, and he was eager to traverse it. Winter
was almost upon him, but without hesitation he set
out through the untrodden country to the south. It
was a terrible venture. The wintry chill soon fell
upon the party ; snow came down till the earth lay
buried in white; no food was to be had except the
little they carried; and between them and the valleys
of California lay the rugged ranges of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. They were in the Great Basin
of the West, that seat of arid barrenness.
The Indians they met would not attempt to lead
them over the great mountain-barrier. They said it
could not be crossed. No money would tempt them
to act as guides. But some of them said there was a
pass farther south and told how it could be found,
and Fremont led his men towards it. They reached
it only to discover that beyond it lay another and
higher range. To turn back now would be fatal. To
go on alone seemed equally fatal. They must have a
guide or they would perish. At last, by offering a very
large present, they induced a young Indian to guide
them. It was now the ist of February, but forty days
more passed before they reached the Sacramento
River, a worn-out, half-starved band, while half their
horses had perished and been devoured for food.
It was not until Fremont reached his home in July
that he learned of the letter of recall which his wife
had suppressed. Those who sent it were perhaps
ashamed of their action when they learned of the
splendid work the explorer had done and the terrible
sufferings endured by the devoted band. Instead of
blame, only praise awaited the Pathfinder, and Europe
and America alike hailed him as one of the most in-
trepid of modern discoverers.
A man like Fremont could not safely be shelved.
326 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
In 1845, ^^^ y^^^ after his return, he was sent out
again, this time as captain of United States engineeers.
He now sought to find out more about the Salt Lake
and the Great Basin between the Rockies and the Sierra
Nevada, and it was midwinter when he once more
crossed the latter range and came into California.
While he was there the war between the United
States and Mexico broke out, and he was ordered by
the Mexican authorities to leave the country. This
he refused to do, collected the Americans who were
settled along the Sacramento, and acted with such
skill and despatch that by July he was master of the
whole of Northern California. A fleet had been sent
to the coast under Commodore Stockton, and, co-
operating with this, Fremont played a leading part in
the total conquest of California.
This led to a quarrel with General Kearney, who
had marched from Santa Fe to California, and the
quarrel ended in Fremont being arrested by Kearney
and sent as a prisoner to Washington. He was tried
there, found guilty of mutiny and disobedience, and
dismissed from the government service. The Presi-
dent granted him a pardon and offered him his old
place in the army, but he was too high-spirited to
accept and retired to private life.
Fremont's career as an explorer was by no means
at an end. In 1848 gold was found in California and
the great migration thither began. The gold region
could be reached only by a long and dangerous over-
land journey or a much longer water route. The
Pathfinder wished to find a more direct line of travel,
and set out at his own expense to do so. He now went
south, making an easy journey to Santa Fe. But
beyond this point he fell into the most terrible distress
he had ever known.
IN AMERICA 327
The route he traversed was peopled by hostile In-
dians. Winter added its dangers to this, and while
the little party was entangled among the snow-covered
Sierras the guide lost his way. In the end they were
forced to turn back, but before they could cross the
barren region to Santa Fe one-third of the party and
all the horses had died of cold and hunger.
But the pass was there, he was sure it was there;
and the next year he was off again with thirty men.
Once more he failed to find what he wanted, though
he crossed the Sierras and reached the Sacramento
River. Again, in 1853, the intrepid explorer set out
in search of the southern pass, and this time with
success. Reaching the point where the guide had lost
his way in 1848, he traced from there a series of
passes to the Golden State.
But this was at the cost of sufferings equal to those
of 1848. Provisions gave out; the country was bleak
and barren ; for fifty days the men lived on the flesh
of their horses ; at times they went hungry for two
whole days ; so severe was the winter that even the
Indians deserted the country ; and for three hundred
miles not a human being or an animal was met. So
great was their distress that Fremont, fearing lest
extreme hunger might make cannibals of his men,
obliged them to swear that they would shoot the first
man that attempted to appease his hunger with the
flesh of a comrade.
At last California was reached, only one man having
died on the way, though the rest were in a state of
pitiable debility. Such a route was not one for men
to follow, but Fremont had found a pass through
which a railroad could be built, so that the suffering
of himself and men had not been without avail.
In 1856 the honor due the Great Pathfinder was
328 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
paid him in his nomination as the first candidate of
the new RepubHcan party for the Presidency. He re-
ceived one hundred and fourteen electoral votes
against one hundred and seventy-four for his oppo-
nent, an excellent showing for a brand-new party.
How the election of Fremont by the Republican party
would have been received by the secession advocates
of the South it is difficult to say, for he was himself
of Southern origin, having been born in Savannah,
Georgia, in 1813, his father a Frenchman, his mother
a Virginian lady. In 1861 he was commissioned
major-general in the regular army, and took some part
in the war, resigning in 1862. He received the same
commission on the retired list in April, 1890, and died
in July of the same year.
IN AMERICA 329
THE SAVING OF OREGON AND THE
ADVENTURES OF DR. WHITMAN
The year 1842 completed the period of three and a
half centuries from the discovery of America by Co-
lumbus. In this period the double continent had been
almost completely overrun and occupied. The whole
vast domain south of the United States was the seat
of nations of Spanish and Portuguese origin with the
exception of Guiana and the West Indies, in which
some other countries of Europe held a small footing.
North of the United States lay Canada, in possession
of Great Britain, and Alaska, under Russian control.
Of the whole continental expanse only one available
section remained in the hands of its original inhabitants,
the red-skinned aborigines. This was the region of
Oregon, between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific
coast, a fertile land which the invading white man had
not yet claimed. We have now to show how the prob-
lem of ownership of Oregon was solved.
It has been shown in previous stories how Jonathan
Carver gave it its name, how Captain Gray discovered
its great river, how Lewis and Clark followed this
river to the sea, and how Fremont explored the region
between the Columbia River and California. But it
still remained without a master, the one fertile region
of the continent left in Indian hands.
There were questionable claims covering this region.
When Jefferson bought Louisiana from France the
western boundary of this purchase was held to be the
Rocky Mountains, though some then and afterwards
felt that it should reach to the western ocean. The
330 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
Spanish of Mexico also made a vague claim to the
region, and so did the English of Canada, while Russia
was reaching out for that section when warned off by
the Monroe Doctrine. Thus as late as the date men-
tioned, 1842, it was still doubtful what nation would
possess the Oregon country. Spain had relinquished
its claim, but those of England and the United States
remained.
While these nations were taking matters very easily,
as if neither of them thought Oregon worth the
having, there were people in the United States and
Canada who were more active. Oregon was a country
rich in furs, and traders and trappers let no danger or
difficulty stop them in their search for the small ani-
mals that wore for clothing these valuable commodi-
ties. As gold in the south lured the Spaniards into
many distant and unknown regions, so furs in the
north had a like effect on the French and English,
and the fur-hunters were among the most daring and
enterprising discoverers and explorers of America.
It was the search for furs that led the first adven-
turers to Oregon. The way across the mountains
shown by Lewis and Clark was quickly followed. In
1808 the fur-traders of St. Louis organized into the
American Fur Company, which at once sent an agent
across the mountains. He set up a trading-house on
the Lewis River, an upper branch of the Columbia,
naming it Fort Henry, and setting up an active trade
with the Indians.
But the great adventurer in this field was John
Jacob Astor, the famous merchant and shipper of New
York. He had already made a fortune out of furs,
and to increase that fortune he determined to establish
a great trading-station on the Columbia River. In
1 8 10 he sent out two companies, one in ships around
IN AMERICA 331
Cape Horn, another up the Missouri and over the
mountains to the mouth of the Columbia. It was
January, 1812, when the latter party reached this point,
worn-out and in utter destitution, and found a resting-
place in Astoria, a settlement which the Cape Horn
party had already built on the Columbia at a point ten
miles from its mouth.
There were two things which interfered with
Astor's plans. The Northwest Fur Company, of
Montreal, whose agent, Mackenzie, had found a way
across the mountains years before, was now sending
its agents into Oregon and buying furs from the In-
dians on the upper waters of the Columbia. And in
June, 181 2, war broke out between England and the
United States, and as it went on Astor's property was
in danger of capture. So his agents sold Astoria and
its trade to the Northwest Company in October, 181 3.
Thus at this date an English company became the
lords and masters in Oregon, and it looked as if that
great country would fall into the hands of Great
Britain.
But neither England nor the United States troubled
itself about that remote country. Absorbed in affairs
at home, they knew little of what was taking place
there. The country was left to the trappers, concern-
ing whose character we may fitly quote Washington
Irving's lucid description. After saying that the early
traders travelled in boats by way of the lakes and
rivers, he goes on to describe the later race of traders,
who journeyed on horseback, traversing vast plains
and scaling mountain-chains, in the wild recesses of
which they pursued their hazardous vocation. This,
he says, made them " physically and mentally a more
lively race than the fur-traders and trappers of former
days. A man who bestrides a horse must be essen-
332 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
tially different from a man who cowers in a canoe.
We find them, accordingly, hardy, lithe, vigorous;
extravagant in word, in thought, and deed; heedless
of hardships, daring of danger, prodigal of the present,
and thoughtless of the future.
" The American trapper stands by himself, and is
peerless for the service of the wilderness. Drop him
in the midst of the prairie, or in the heart of the
mountains, and he is never at a loss. He notices every
landmark, can retrace his route through the most
monotonous plains or the most perplexed labyrinths
of the mountains. No danger nor difficulty can appall
him, and he scorns to complain under any. privation."
Such were the men who first made their way into
Oregon. For a long time the Northwest and the
Hudson Bay Companies had this region largely to
themselves, though the American Fur-Trading Com-
pany of St. Louis disputed the field with them. But
none of these companies wanted settlers, and these
were not encouraged to come. They desired a coun-
try in a state of nature, and preferred to have the
nations keep their hands off. Thus it was that many
years passed and Oregon was left in the hands of the
Indians and the trappers. For a long period after
1818 England and the United States agreed to hold
the Oregon country in common. But the English had
the chief hold and the United States seemed losing
its grip. When Thomas H. Benton asked the govern-
ment to send an armed force there to hold the country,
he was told that it was not worth the trouble.
From time to time small parties of Americans
drifted to Oregon and made their homes there. In
1832 Captain Bonneville took a wagon train across
the Wind River chain into the valley of Green River,
and showed how easily the mountains could be crossed.
IN AMERICA 333
Others followed, an interesting party being made up
of missionaries, who were sent to Oregon in 1834 and
1835 for the purpose of converting the Indians to
Christianity. One of these was Dr. Marcus Whit-
man, who went with his wife to Fort Walla Walla
with a wagon, a feat thought impossible at this cross-
ing point. In later years Dr. Whitman became a
famous figure in the history of Oregon. But its set-
tlement went on very slowly, and in 1841 it held less
than a hundred and fifty Americans.
There were more in 1843, when Fremont reached
the Columbia. Here, at Fort Walla Walla, nine miles
below the junction of the two great branches of the
Columbia, he found Dr. Whitman and the mission he
had founded among the Nez Perces. Whitman had a
clearing planted with corn and potatoes, and was able
to feed Fremont and his men, as also to supply a body
of emigrants who were there building boats to go
down the river. This was discouraged by the Hudson
Bay Company agents at the fort, who did their best
to turn back the emigrants or to send them south to
California, charging them high prices for supplies
when they persisted in going on.
It had before this become evident to the agents of
the Hudson Bay Company that if they wanted the
country they must take steps to secure it. The emi-
gration from the United States was growing and could
only be offset by an inflow from Canada, so settlers
were brought in from the Red River country of the
north to take hold of the best lands. A party of one
hundred and forty arrived in 1842, and the news of
their coming was announced at a dinner-party at Fort
Walla Walla. One of the guests, excited by the tidings,
flung his cap in the air, shouting, " Hurrah for Oregon.
America is too late, and we have got the country."
334 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
The story goes that Dr. Whitman was at this dinner
and heard the indiscreet remark, and at once made up
his mind to go to Washington and give the authorities
there to understand that they must act at once or they
would lose Oregon. This story is strongly questioned.
Dr. Whitman's journey seems to have been under
order of his church. He had been sent for to report
on the affairs at his mission. But his journey was a
remarkable one and fairly claims place among the
other narratives of western adventure we have given.
It was in October that Whitman set out. Winter
was already in the movmtains. A journey of three
thousand miles, much of it in the heart of the Rockies,
was no trifle even in summer. In winter it promised
to be terrible. He took with him one companion,
Amos L. Love joy, a guide, and two or three pack-
mules, and set off with his face to the East.
Eleven days brought the small party to Fort Hall,
another Hudson Bay station, whose agent, Captain
Grant, was found to be eager to hold Oregon for
England. From here the travellers struck south for
Taos and Santa Fe, a route that would add hundreds
of miles to the journey, but would bring them to a
well-travelled trail to the States. They proposed to
pass Great Salt Lake, then go southeast to Taos, and
again south to Santa Fe.
The journey proved one full of terrors. The snows
were already deep, and a fierce storm forced them to
seek shelter in a mountain-defile, where they were
detained for ten days. The storm over, they wan-
dered day after day blindly through the mountains,
the guide at length confessing that he was lost and
could lead them no farther. They did not dare go on
under the circumstances, and Whitman decided to re-
turn to a post they had recently passed, called Fort
IN AMERICA 335
Winter, and obtain another guide, leaving Love joy
with the mules and horses. There was no forage for
the animals but the bark of the cottonwood-trees.
In seven days Whitman was back with a new guide,
and the party resumed its journey and its adventures.
Grand River, when reached, was found to be two-
thirds frozen, the current running freely in its centre.
The guide said that it was impossible to cross. To
prove that he recognized no such word. Whitman
plunged in, swam his horse across, and safely reached
the opposite side. The others followed, and a blazing
fire on the other side soon dried their clothes.
Such was the type of their adventures. Before they
reached Taos they were forced to kill their dogs and
some of their mules for food. During their ten days'
detention in the mountain-defile Dr. Whitman had
owed "his life to the sagacity of a mule. Impatient at
the delay, he sought to escape by going over the
divide; but the cold and storm forced him to turn
back, and to his dismay he found that every vestige of
his track was buried under the snow. He and his
companions wandered aimlessly till they were half
frozen, and in the end Whitman dismounted and com-
mended himself to God, seeing nothing before him
but burial under the white shroud of snow.
In this frightful situation the Mexican guide saw
significant movements of the ears of his mule. The
poor creature was talking in his silent way. " We
can trust him to find the camp," he said, and he let
the reins fall. The wise animal at once set out in a
new course, following a devious route through groves
and over slopes, till at length the smell of smoke
attracted them. In a few minutes more they were
beside the smouldering logs of their late camp.
Santa Fe reached, the route lay eastward, but their
336 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
goal was not attained without fresh adventures. After
one hard day's journey they reached a branch of the
Arkansas, at a point without a tree or bush, though
there was woodland beyond the stream. They had
been drenched with rain, the cold was severe, and
wood must in some way be obtained, but the ice on
the river was too thin to bear a man's weight.
Dr. Whitman was the man for the situation. Lying
flat on the ice, he pushed the axe before him and
wriggled across, cut what wood was needed, and came
back in the same way, now pushing axe and fagots
before him. Soon they were comfortable before a
warm fire. That night their useful axe was stolen.
A broken place in it had been mended with rawhide,
and a famished wolf stole the weapon for the hide.
Fortunately, they were near the settlements and the
loss of the axe was not serious. Whitman reached
Washington on March 3, having been just five months
on the journey.
The story he told of the beauty and fertility of
Oregon awakened a new interest in that country, and
the sentiment that it must be saved for the United
States grew strong. Before the year reached its mid-
season a large party of emigrants were on the way
with two hundred wagons and abundant supplies.
Whitman accompanied them, and on September 4
reached his home, from which he had been eleven
months absent. Others quickly followed, the Ameri-
can population soon much outnumbered the English,
and the question of the ownership of Oregon became
a vital one.
Shortly before Dr. Whitman reached the East a
boundary treaty with Great Britain had been signed,
fixing the line between the United States and Canada
at 49° north latitude. But this extended only from
IN AMERICA 337
the Great Lakes to the Rocky Mountains, and Oregon
was still left without an owner. Shortly after Whit-
man's return the question as to who should own Ore-
gon was much debated. Great Britain wanted it, at
least as far as the Columbia River. The American
claim was for the whole coast as far north as Alaska,
and the political war-cry of the time was " Fifty-four
forty or fight," — 54° 40' being the southern boundary
of Alaska. Finally, the matter was settled in 1846
by a treaty that continued the boundary of 49° to the
Pacific coast, and the final question of ownership in
America was decided. British Columbia was left to
Canada, and the United States got what now com-
prises the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
22
338 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
THE GALLANT EXPLORERS OF THE
FROZEN SEAS
One final field of American discovery remains to be
described, that lying north of the continent, among
the islands and waters of the Arctic zone. We have
told the stories of Frobisher, Davis, Hudson, and
others who in early days sought in vain for a north-
west passage through the Arctic seas from Europe to
Asia. Such a passage existed, as was proved in later
times, but ice and cold held it captive and the demon
of death spread his wings over its waters. We have
further told how Hearne and Mackenzie gazed upon
these waters after a long journey overland. Such was
the state of affairs when the nineteenth century
dawned, and daring men again sought these seas.
We have now the later story of Arctic explorations
to tell, and will begin with the journeys overland. The
earliest of these was made by the famous Sir John
Franklin, who followed the track of Hearne down the
Coppermine River in 1819, and of Mackenzie down
the Mackenzie River in 1825, and traversed hundreds
of miles along the bleak Arctic coast. In his first expe-
dition he travelled, by boats and on foot, over five thou-
sand five hundred and fifty miles. Later journeys
through Canada were made by Dease, Simpson, and
Rae, and by the middle of the century the northern
coast line of the continent had become fairly well
known.
Meanwhile ship after ship had sought the frozen
seas and new discoveries were being made. Ross and
Parry led the van. They sailed in 18 18 and made
IN AMERICA 339
their way through Lancaster Sound into the island-
studded sea beyond. Of those who followed them,
the chief in interest was Sir John Franklin, whose
land journeys are spoken of above. His was the first
great tragedy of the northern seas, he the first famous
victim of the frost king, and his fate for many years
remained a myster}^
It was on the 9th of May, 1845, that Franklin's two
ships, the " Erebus" and " Terror," sailed from the
Thames in search of that fatal lure to mariners, the
Northwest Passage. Into the mouth of death they
sailed and vanished from human sight. Ships and
sailors alike were never seen again, though for years
they were diligently sought, Lady Franklin and others
sending out many expeditions in their search. One
of these, that under McClure, entered by way of
Bering Strait in 1850, and after his ship was frozen
' fast he made his way eastward by sledges until he
reached Atlantic waters. This is called the first dis-
covery of the Northwest Passage, though it is believed
that Sir John Franklin had discovered it before.
In 185 1 no less than six expeditions sailed in search
of the lost mariners, but the first to find any trace of
them was McClintock, in 1857. He secured from the
Eskimos many relics of the vanished party, and found
on the coast of King William's Land a document
which they had left. This told of the death of Frank-
lin in 1847, ^^d stated that the vessels were so clipped
in by the ice that their rescue was hopeless, and that
the survivors, one hundred and five in number, had
started in the spring of 1848 for the Great Fish River
of Canada. But cold and hunger proved implacable
enemies, and the document they left behind was the
last known of them. An American expedition under
Lieutenant Schwatka made its way overland in sledges
340 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
in 1879-80, discovering the grave of an officer of the
" Terror," and bringing back fresh reUcs of the party,
though no trace of its lost records could be found.
The first and most famous of the American ex-
plorers to take part in the search for the vanished
mariners was Elisha Kent Kane. He sailed for the
Arctic seas in 1850 and again in 1853, and while find-
ing no trace of Franklin and his men, made important
discoveries, reaching the parallel of 81° 22' N., the
highest known to that time. In the end he and his
men, attacked by cold, hunger, and scurvy, were
obliged to abandon their ship and start south with
boats and sledges. They finally reached the Danish
Greenland settlement of Upernivik, the most northerly
settlement of civilized man on the globe. They were
fortunate in that only one man died on the journey
and all their instruments and records were saved.
Dr. Kane's surgeon, Dr. Isaac I. Hayes, led an expe-
dition to the polar seas in i860, and Captain Charles F.
Hall made three later voyages thither, reaching the
parallel of 82° 11' N. in 1870. A British expedition
under Captain Nares went still higher in 1875-76,
reaching 83° 20', the highest point to that time.
A famous American expedition was that which
sailed from Baltimore on June 14, 1881, under Lieu-
tenant Greely, of the United States navy, and reached
the latitude of 83° 24', a few miles higher than that
of Captain Nares. Only great powers of endurance
saved Greely and his men from the fate of the unfor-
tunate Franklin. They failing to return, two expedi-
tions were sent to the relief of the party, but both came
back without finding the ill-fated mariners. Provis-
ioned for two years only, in August, 1883, Greely and
his men found themseb^es with only forty days' rations
and the horrors of an Arctic winter before them. No
IN AMERICA 341
game was to be had and a lingering death by starva-
tion seemed their inevitable fate.
Greely and his men had been sent north for the pur-
pose of making scientific observations, and landed at
Lady Franklin Bay, in Grinnell Land, where the ship
left them, with the understanding that they would be
sent for the next year. Two winters in the frozen
north had now been passed and the third was fast com-
ing, while no trace of the looked-for relief-ships had
been seen. Yet with a terrible death staring them in the
face the devoted Greely and his men kept up their
scientific observations, even when disease and famine
had so reduced their strength that the living were
scarcely able to bury the dead, and the gaunt, haggard
survivors staggered to their work till their powers
utterly failed. It was an example of devotion to duty
that has never been excelled.
The fatal mistake of the government had been in
failing to establish an intermediate supply station
which vessels from the south could reach and leave
food, and to which the voyagers could retreat if in
need. Even the relief-ships failed to leave such a supply.
No help coming, Greely fell back to Cape Sabine,
on Smith's Sound, in August, hoping there to find
the much needed food. But none was found except
the stores which Sir George Nares had left there
years before. These, though barely fit to eat, were
consumed, and the hapless men settled down to face
their fast advancing enemy, famine. Yet in despite of
this they kept up their observations to the last.
The long winter passed, the spring of 1884 came;
finally the last scrap of eatable material was consumed,
and, one after another, the fated crew fell into the
arms of death. In June, 1884, two vessels, under
Commander Schley, appeared oflf the camp of death,
342 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
the eyes of the rescuers ga2ing with horror on the
unburied dead lying around. It appeared too late ;
death, they were sure, had finished his ghastly work,
when from the tent staggered a form gaunt as a ghost,
with the last vestiges of life in its shrunken limbs. It
was that of the heroic Greely. He and five of his men
proved to be still alive. Two days' more delay and
deatli would have claimed them all. With tender care
the survivors were nursed back to life and brought
home, and for many years the heroic Greely has been
the chief of the United States Signal Service.
After the period named numbers of expeditions
sought the north, their purpose no longer being to find
the useless Northwest Passage, but to solve the mys-
tery of the North Pole. Chief among those engaged
in this search in American waters was Lieutenant
Robert B. Peary, of the United States navy, the most
persistent and indefatigable of all those who have
taken part in polar research. He was, with little inter-
mission, engaged for twenty years in this work.
His explorations began in 1886, when he left the coast
of Greenland and went far into the frozen interior.
Filled with the thirst of the explorer, he returned in
1891, founded a station at McCormick Bay, in north
Greenland, and made a brilliant sledge journey six
hundred and fifty miles long over the interior ice,
reaching the northeast coast at a point named by him
Independence Bay, in latitude 81° 37' N. He made a
second expedition in 1893-95, ^"^ again crossed to
Independence Bay, though at imminent risk of his life.
In a third journey north in 1897 he brought back with
him an immense meteorite found at Cape York.
All this only served to spur Peary's ambition.
Others were in eager search for the Pole, and he
wished to secure the honor for his native country if
IN AMERICA 343
possible. Nansen, the Swede, had reached in eastern
waters the unmatched latitude of 86° 14' N., two hun-
dred and sixty-one miles from the Pole, a fact which
doubly stirred Peary's ambition. So he applied for
and obtained five years' leave of absence from his
naval duties, hoping within this time to cross the
northern ice-field and plant the Stars and Stripes upon
the Pole.
His voyage in 1897 had been to make arrangements
for the work before him and secure the aid of the
Eskimos. He returned in 1898. Establishing himself
at a point in the far north, he devoted himself for five
years to his chosen purpose, despite the fact that in
one of his sledge journeys his feet were frozen and
he lost several of his toes. His first dash for the Pole
was made in the spring of 1900, but he found that he
had started too late in the season, the sea ice being
broken and the snow soft arid slushy from the advance
of warm weather. He tried again in 1901, and this
time he reached the latitude of 83° 50' and then was
obliged to turn back, the men and dogs being out of
condition for travel.
Another winter was spent in the bleak and terrible
north, and when the new spring came round the tire-
less searcher set out once more, this time in early
March, his final dash from the northern coast being
begun on April i, with four Eskimos and his faithful
black attendant, Henson. Misfortune attended him.
The ice of the northern sea proved to be broken into
lanes of open water and heaped up into steep ridges,
over which the heavy sledges had to be lifted by main
strength. Progress was slow and difficult, and after
struggling onward for ten days and making nearly
one hundred miles over the broken and rugged sur-
face, the struggle became too perilous and a return
344 HEROES OF DISCOVERY
imperative. It was a bitter moment for the daring
explorer, for it seemed an end to his ardent hopes.
He had reached the parallel of 84° 17', four hundred
and four statute miles from the Pole, the farthest yet
attained in the American seas.
But the indefatigable Peary was not yet conquered.
He felt that his experience in polar navigation was too
valuable to be thrown aside, and that fortune might
yet give him the prize, and he was no sooner back in
America than a determination to reach the goal, if
possible, arose again in his mind. Having a vessel
of great steam power and rigid construction built
expressly for polar service, Peary set out again in
the summer of 1905, proposing to winter much far-
ther north than formerly, at Lady Franklin Bay (81°
44' N.) or even some higher point. His purpose was
to reduce the length of the dash for the pole which
he proposed to make in the spring of 1906, in a final
great effort to reach the pole.
In 1905 a feat in Arctic research which had been
many times attempted, since Frobisher's pioneer effort
in 1576, the finding of a Northwest Passage, was first
accomplished. We have spoken of the journey of
McClure eastward from Bering Sea in 1850-54. But
that was in great part a sledge journey. In 1905 Cap-
tain Roand Amundsen, a Norwegian, forced his vessel
across the Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, finding an available, though in part very shal-
low waterway. After more than three centuries the
great feat was accomplished. While for commercial
purposes the route proved to be utterly useless, it was
a great event in the annals of discovery.
The True History of the
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By SYDNEY GEORGE FISHER.
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MONT PELEE
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Miss Boegli wanted to see the world and had no money to see it
with. But she had a stout heart, a good education, and the ability
to adapt herself to circumstance. With these weapons at her com-
mand she set forth to travel in foreign countries. She was alone and
had no very definite plan of proceeding ; but, in one way or another —
and she earned her way everywhere — she managed to encircle the
globe. What she experienced, what she saw, and what she heard
she has recorded in her narrative.
" Her record is one of the brightest books of travel published this
season." — S(. Louis Globe-Democrat.
" There is a personal charm about the book that is fetching." —
Philadelphia Inquirer.
" Miss Boegli has written a unique diary. The naivete is delight-
ful. Her brain seems like a kodak. One of the most graphic reports
of the incidents of a wonderlul journey I have ever had the pleasure
of reading." — Charles Frederic Goss, Cincinnati, O.
"Miss Boegli's cheeriness and optimism and facility of expression
make this record of her observations and experiences in many lands
exceptionally pleasant reading." — New York Outlook.
" It is a very interesting work, causing the reader to follow sympa-
thetically the adventures of the lone voyager through her sojoumings in
foreign lands. In turn she visited Australia, New Zealand, Samoa,
Hawaii, and the United States, "paying her way" as a teacher of
French, finding many obstacles, but overcoming them all with a
splendid optimism. Many and varied are the glimpses she gives us
of faraway lands. Perhaps most interesting of all are her pictures of
Samoa." — New York Tribune.
J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA.
BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK
MIRABEAU
AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
Illustrated by John R. Neill. 8vo. Cloth, gilt top, rough
edges, $2.50, net.
A historical study of that period of the French Revolution
with which Mirabeau was immediately concerned and of
which he was one of the chief figures.
"In style it is direct, clear, and forceful; in the historic view-
point presented it is sound, judicial, and keen, and, above all, it is
from first to last exceedingly entertaining." — Philadelphia Record.
*' He has produced a book that will live and be recognized as an
important contribution to literature, not only of to-day, but for all
time." — Evening Telegraph, Philadelphia.
"Warwick has taken the crowded events and exciting incidents of
the time and assembled them with fine discrimination in their bearing
to the career of the brilliant Mirabeau, and it is a picture of fine pro-
portion and values which he presents — colorful and panoramic history
standing as the background for this extraordinary picturesque figure. ' '
— St. Louis Republic.
' ' Every page of this volume is associated with stirring and far-
reaching events. The publication is one of clear presentation and
well-defined outlines. There is no effort to enter deeps of philosophi-
cal speculation. The volume affords a careful and impartial estimate
of Mirabeau and his time." — News, Denver.
"He has dealt fairly by his subject, and has presented it in such
light that the reader is left in a position to form a judgment unbiassed
by any previous opinion. ' ' — Transcript, Boston.
"It is safe to say that no more complete work in one volume, on
the subjects with which Mr. Warwick deals, has ever been presented.
As implied in the title, much attention is given to Mirabeau, whose
antecedents and actions are described graphically, and whose motives
are analyzed with care. The author seems to have given an enormous
amount of study to authorities likely to aid him in his work. The
book has a most valuable index." — St. Louis Star.
J. B. LIPPINCOrr COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA
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