CHAPTER XXVI AN ILL-STARRED VOYAGE

On the 24th day of July, three long years before, these five weather-worn men and their comrades had seen the shores of France fade slowly from their sight. Out of the harbor of Rochelle had sailed that summer day twenty-four ships. Twenty of the number soon drew away from the rest and turned their bows toward the mouth of the St. Lawrence and New France; the other four sailed on alone.

On board the four ships were near three hundred souls, embarking¹ on a voyage no one of them had made before. One of the boats, the Joly, a ship of war, carried thirty-odd pieces of cannon². But it carried also more precious cargo³. Monsieur Beaujeu, a proud man and bold, was its captain; and with him, as leader of the colony that thus fared forth⁴ to the glory of the King of France, was Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle. Restless and ambitious as ever, he now felt under his feet the roll of decks which the king had given him with godspeed to find the mouth of the Mississippi River and plant there a settlement that would be the beginning of a great new empire in the heart of the American wilderness⁵.

The King of France had caught a glimpse of La Salle’s vision of the future of the Great Valley. He had listened, too, while La Salle had whispered into his eager ears the story of how the hated Spaniards, clinging these many years to the rich lands of Mexico, would fall before the attacks of the French, aided by the hordes⁶ of Indians whom they would recruit from the colony about Fort St. Louis and from the lower Mississippi Valley.

In the four ships were a hundred soldiers; and since colonies have need of such, there were carpenters and tool-makers and bakers⁷ and stonemasons and engineers. There were also priests and friars—among others La Salle’s brother, the Abbé Cavelier, and Father Anastasius Douay. On board one of the ships was the energetic figure of Father Membré, who was no stranger to the Great Valley of the Mississippi. He had entered it with La Salle, and later had hardly struggled out of it with his friend of the iron hand after the Iroquois raid. He had come back with the gallant⁸ party that paddled down the length of the valley to the sea, and had been the one to carry news of the voyage to Canada and to France. Still did he cling to the side of his leader, stanch⁹ friend that he was.

Born in the same town of Rouen with La Salle was a man named Henri Joutel. When a mere¹⁰ boy he joined the army, and after serving about sixteen years he had come back to his native town in time to join others who were shipping¹¹ with their townsman for the trip across the sea. Last of all, these four ships held a handful of women and girls who were ready to try the perils¹² of the sea and the fearsome dangers of a strange land.

Thus they had sailed, a company of colonists¹³ of all classes and descriptions—good men and bad, brave men and weak, workers and drones, gentlemen and stout-hearted peasants, debauched nobles and the riffraff of seaport¹⁴ towns; men who took their load and endured through hardship, sickness, and despair; and men whom Joutel declared were fit only to eat part of the provisions.

Never had the unconquerable spirit of La Salle met such stubborn blows as now. In the first place the arrangements of the voyage were well-nigh fatal to success, for the company had two heads, each one a man accustomed to command alone and impatient of any other authority. Beaujeu, an old naval¹⁵ officer who was the captain of the fleet, saw little of greatness in La Salle, and looked upon him as a dreamer if not a fanatic¹⁶. La Salle, leader of the colony, with authority to determine the route to be taken, looked with distrust upon Beaujeu, held his own counsel about his plans, and regarded the captain as his enemy and the chief obstacle to the successful outcome of his mission. Before ever the ships set sail these two men had their quarrels, and on the open seas it was no better.

Years of bitter experiences, of wilderness hardships, of daily and nightly perils, of disappointments and losses, had hardened the temper of La Salle’s will; and these years had not softened¹⁷ a certain coldness and harshness of manner that lost him many friends. Suspicion and doubt of his fellows deepened in his heart with every turn of his wheel of fortune. With all his remarkable¹⁸ power over the Indians, he constantly failed to understand and make himself loved by the men of his own race over whom he was in command. Naturally with his mongrel company of voyagers things went sadly wrong. No one appreciated better than Tonty, as he listened to the tale of the Abbé and Joutel, how adventures and trials such as the party were bound to meet would try each man and show him for a true man, a knave¹⁹, or a weakling.

At the island of Santo Domingo the Joly made port and lay to, waiting for the balance of the fleet which had fallen behind. There were fifty sick in the company, among them La Salle. But there was much to be done on shore. While walking one day with Joutel in the streets of the little town of Petit Gouave, La Salle was overcome by a sudden weakness and sank to the ground. Joutel took him as soon as possible to a house which had been temporarily rented by the Duhaut brothers, two members of La Salle’s company. Before he was himself again one of the Duhauts rashly told him that Spanish buccaneers had captured one of the four ships, and straightway his sickness returned. Joutel and the Abbé said little to Tonty of the elder of these Duhauts, but in their own minds they thought of him with a hate that had no basis in the tale they were telling.

For many weeks La Salle and his voyagers were delayed at Santo Domingo, gathering²⁰ supplies for the rest of the voyage. More of the company fell ill; and some, fearful of coming dangers, deserted²¹. At last they got away late in November and sailed west along the southern coast of Cuba. Soon they had passed the long island and turned the prows²² of their ships toward the shores of the Gulf²³ of Mexico.

Two or three days before the end of the year 1684, they sighted land. Thinking that they were near the Bay of Appalache, they sailed westward²⁴, in cold wind and rain and fog, hoping each day to find the mouth of the Great River. Sometimes they landed men to explore a river mouth or lagoon²⁵. Once, on the 6th of January, they came to what appeared to be the mouth of a bay with an island in the midst of it, but La Salle, still convinced that the Mississippi was far to the west, pushed on along the coast. As January drew to a close they found the shore line trending more and more to the south, and even La Salle began to think they had gone beyond the river they were seeking.

At length they landed on the shore of a bay where a river ran down to the Gulf, and the perplexed²⁶ leader of the wandering colony made up his mind that they had found the western mouth of the Mississippi. One of the ships, coming into the bay under the ill-management of the pilot, ran aground and broke apart. In despair La Salle put his men to saving the cargo. Under great difficulties provisions and ammunition²⁷ were rescued from the fated ship and piled on the lonely shore. Through the long night that followed unfriendly Indians prowled about eager for plunder²⁸, and sentinels walked up and down upon the sand keeping watch among the precious boxes and barrels, while the miserable²⁹ band of colonists tried to get sleep.

Discouraging as was this beginning, greater misfortunes were not slow in coming to the colony. La Salle’s nephew, Moranget, hotheaded and unwise, visited an Indian village with some of the men to trade and to look for stolen property; and when they took leave they made off with Indian blankets and canoes. Upon their return they camped at night, their sentinel slept, and the Indians crept upon them. War-whoops rose in the air and into the group of sleeping white men by the smouldering fire came a volley of arrows, killing³⁰ two of the company. Moranget finally succeeded in reaching the camp by the shore with the ill news upon his lips and an arrow in his shoulder.

No man knew better than La Salle the evil results that would surely follow such relations with the Indians; but there was no mending matters now. Ill luck blew in every wind; what with keeping constant watch upon prowling Indians, fighting prairie fires that threatened to reach the provisions and gunpowder³¹, and burying along the sandy shore those of the company who fell sick and died, the colony of La Salle was making wretched progress.

Leaving a hundred and thirty of the company in charge of Joutel, La Salle with a handful of men went off to explore. He came back with his own stubborn mind convinced that he was not so near the Mississippi as he had supposed. Beyond a doubt he and all of his men were lost.

Beaujeu and a part of the company had already sailed away; they were returning to France to tell their friends that La Salle was landed on the shore of the Gulf amid hostile Indians and with no certain knowledge of where he was. As a matter of fact La Salle had passed the mouth of the Mississippi by nearly four hundred miles and was camped on the shores of what is now Matagorda Bay in Texas.

1 embarking   

乘船( embark的现在分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
• The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争，须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。

2 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

3 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

9 stanch   

v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的

参考例句：

• Cuttlebone can be used as a medicine to stanch bleeding.海螵蛸可以入药，用来止血。
• I thought it my duty to help stanch these leaks.我认为帮助堵塞漏洞是我的职责。

10 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

11 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

12 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

13 colonists   

n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

15 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

16 fanatic   

n.狂热者，入迷者；adj.狂热入迷的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a football fanatic.亚历山大是个足球迷。
• I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.我不是宗教狂热分子，但我是基督徒。

17 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

18 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

19 knave   

n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克

参考例句：

• Better be a fool than a knave.宁做傻瓜，不做无赖。
• Once a knave,ever a knave.一次成无赖，永远是无赖。

20 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

21 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

22 prows   

n.船首( prow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The prows of the UNSC ships flared as their magnetic accelerator cannons fired. UNSC战舰的舰首展开，磁力大炮开火了。 来自互联网

23 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

24 westward   

n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西

参考例句：

• We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。
• Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

25 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

26 perplexed   

adj.不知所措的

参考例句：

• The farmer felt the cow,went away,returned,sorely perplexed,always afraid of being cheated.那农民摸摸那头牛，走了又回来，犹豫不决，总怕上当受骗。
• The child was perplexed by the intricate plot of the story.这孩子被那头绪纷繁的故事弄得迷惑不解。

27 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

28 plunder   

vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠

参考例句：

• The thieves hid their plunder in the cave.贼把赃物藏在山洞里。
• Trade should not serve as a means of economic plunder.贸易不应当成为经济掠夺的手段。

29 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

30 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

31 gunpowder   

n.火药

参考例句：

• Gunpowder was introduced into Europe during the first half of the 14th century.在14世纪上半叶，火药传入欧洲。
• This statement has a strong smell of gunpowder.这是一篇充满火药味的声明。