Fr. James Marquette, S. J. [pp. 688-702]

F.. 7ames Marquette, S. Y. 697
Thevenot, who had just published a of November, the courageous miscollection of travels, and such was sionary found his malady returning,
his appreciation of it that he issued a but pushed on, amid cold and snow
new volume, entitled J?ccucil de Voya until, on the 4th of December, he
~cs, in i68i, containing the narrative reached the Chicago River, which
and map of the Mississippi.* Mr. was closed witl~ ice. Here again the
Sparks, in his life of F. Marquette, Un propitious elements and his own
speaks thus of the narrative: infirmities compelled him to stop and
It is written in a terse, simple, and un- spend the winter. But his time was
pretending style. The author relates not idly spent during this detention,
what occurs, and describes what he sees, for his missionary zeal found occupawithout embellishment or display. He tion in the spiritual care of his Indian
writes as a scholar and as a man of careful obervation and practical sense. There companions, whom he instructed as
is no tendency to exaggerate, nor any well as he could, and sent them forattempt to magnify the difficulties he had ward on their joufl~ey. His faithful
to encounter, or the importance of his dis- Frenchmen remained now alone with
covery. In every point of view, this tract him; but at a distance of fifty miles
is one of the most interesting of those was an Illinois village, where there
which illustrate the early history of
America." were two Frei~chmen, traders and
Having reached Green Bay, the trappers; and these, hearing of the
exhausted voyager sank down under forlorn condition of the missionary,
the effects of his recent travels and ~rn~nged that one of them should go
9~nd visit him. Ehey had prepared
exposures. His disease was so obsti a cabin for him, and the Indians,
nate and protracted that he suffered alarmed for his safety, were also anxduriug the entire winter, though witl~ ious to send some of tl~eir tribe to
patiei~ce and resignation, and did not
recover before the end of the follow- convey their father and his effects to
lug summer. Having received from their village. Touched by tl~eir atiliS superior the necessary orders for tentions, he sent them every assurthe establishment of the Illinois mis- ance of his visiting them, intimating,
sion, he started on the 2Sth of Octo- however, the uncertaility of his doing
ber, 1674, for Kaskaskia. He was so in the spring, in consequence of
accompanied and assisted by two his continued illness. These messa ges only added to the alarm of the
faithful and devoted Frenchmen, and Jndians, and the sachems assembled
by a number of Pottawattomies and and sent a deputation to the blackIllinois Indians. They coasted along gown. The presents they bore were
the mouth of Fox River, and then, three sacks of com, dried meat, and
advancing up as far as the small bay pumpkins, and twelve beaver skins.
breaking into the peninsula, they The objects of their visits were, first,
reached the portage leading to the to make him a mat to sit on; second,
lake. As the canoes proceeded along to ask him for powder; tl~ird, supply
the lake shore, the missionary walked him with food; fourth, to get some
upon the beach, returning to the canoes whenever the beach was broken merchandise. The good father made
answer in characteristic terms, as folby a river or stream; and their pro- lows: "First, that I came to instruct
visions were obtained from the abun- them by speaking of the prayer; secdant yield of the chase. On the 23d ond, that I would not give them
*See the narrative and map in Shea's History powder, as we endeavor to make
Dtscove~y and E~Atoratton of tke Missis- peace everywhere, and because I did