FATE OF THE TEXAN COLONY.
Tonty attempts to rescue the Colonists1: his Difficulties and Hardships.—Spanish Hostility2.—Expedition of Alonzo de Leon: he reaches Fort St. Louis.—A Scene of Havoc3.—Destruction of the French.—The End.
COURAGE OF TONTY.
Henri De Tonty, on his rock of St. Louis, was visited in September by Couture and two Indians from the Arkansas. Then, for the first time, he heard with grief and indignation of the death of La Salle, and the deceit practised by Cavelier. The chief whom he had served so well was beyond his help; but might not the unhappy colonists left on the shores of Texas still be rescued from destruction? Couture had confirmed what Cavelier and his party had already told him, that the tribes south of the Arkansas were eager to join the French in an invasion of northern Mexico; and he soon after received from the governor, Denonville, a letter informing him that war had again been declared against Spain. As bold and enterprising as La Salle himself, Tonty resolved on an effort to learn the condition of the [Pg 465] few Frenchmen left on the borders of the Gulf4, relieve their necessities, and, should it prove practicable, make them the nucleus5 of a war-party to cross the Rio Grande, and add a new province to the domain6 of France. It was the revival7, on a small scale, of La Salle's scheme of Mexican invasion; and there is no doubt that, with a score of French musketeers, he could have gathered a formidable party of savage8 allies from the tribes of Red River, the Sabine, and the Trinity. This daring adventure and the rescue of his suffering countrymen divided his thoughts, and he prepared at once to execute the double purpose.[350]
TONTY MISREPRESENTED.
He left Fort St. Louis of the Illinois early in December, in a pirogue, or wooden canoe, with five Frenchmen, a Shawanoe warrior9, and two Indian slaves; and, after a long and painful journey, he reached the villages of the Caddoes on Red River on the twenty-eighth of March. Here he was told that Hiens and his companions were at a village eighty leagues distant; and thither10 he was preparing to go in search of them, when all his men, excepting the Shawanoe and one Frenchman, declared themselves disgusted with the journey, and refused to follow him. Persuasion11 was useless, and there was no means of enforcing obedience12. He found himself abandoned; but he still pushed on, with the two who remained faithful. A few days after, they lost nearly all their ammunition13 in crossing a river. [Pg 466] Undeterred by this accident, Tonty made his way to the village where Hiens and those who had remained with him were said to be; but no trace of them appeared, and the demeanor14 of the Indians, when he inquired for them, convinced him that they had been put to death. He charged them with having killed the Frenchmen, whereupon the women of the village raised a wail15 of lamentation16; "and I saw," he says, "that what I had said to them was true." They refused to give him guides; and this, with the loss of his ammunition, compelled him to forego his purpose of making his way to the colonists on the Bay of St. Louis. With bitter disappointment, he and his two companions retraced17 their course, and at length approached Red River. Here they found the whole country flooded. Sometimes they waded18 to the knees, sometimes to the neck, sometimes pushed their slow way on rafts. Night and day it rained without ceasing. They slept on logs placed side by side to raise them above the mud and water, and fought their way with hatchets19 through the inundated20 cane-brakes. They found no game but a bear, which had taken refuge on an island in the flood; and they were forced to eat their dogs. "I never in my life," writes Tonty, "suffered so much." In judging these intrepid21 exertions22, it is to be remembered that he was not, at least in appearance, of a robust23 constitution, and that he had but one hand. They reached the Mississippi on the eleventh of July, and the Arkansas villages on the [Pg 467] thirty-first. Here Tonty was detained by an attack of fever. He resumed his journey when it began to abate24, and reached his fort of the Illinois in September.[351]
[Pg 468]
A SCENE OF HAVOC.
While the King of France abandoned the exiles of Texas to their fate, a power dark, ruthless, and terrible was hovering25 around the feeble colony on the Bay of St. Louis, searching with pitiless eye to discover and tear out that dying germ of civilization from the bosom26 of the wilderness27 in whose savage immensity it lay hidden. Spain claimed the Gulf of Mexico and all its coasts as her own of unanswerable right, and the viceroys of Mexico were strenuous28 to enforce her claim. The capture of one of La Salle's four vessels29 at St. Domingo had made known his designs, and in the course of the three succeeding years no less than four expeditions were sent out from Vera Cruz to find and destroy him. They scoured30 the whole extent of the coast, and found the wrecks31 of the "Aimable" and the "Belle32;" but the colony of St. Louis,[352] inland and secluded33, escaped their search. For a time, the jealousy34 of the Spaniards was lulled35 to sleep. They rested in the assurance that the intruders had perished, when fresh advices from the frontier province of New Leon [Pg 469] caused the Viceroy, Galve, to order a strong force, under Alonzo de Leon, to march from Coahuila, and cross the Rio Grande. Guided by a French prisoner, probably one of the deserters from La Salle, they pushed their way across wild and arid36 plains, rivers, prairies, and forests, till at length they approached the Bay of St. Louis, and descried37, far off, the harboring-place of the French.[353] As they drew near, no banner was displayed, no sentry38 challenged; and the silence of death reigned39 over the shattered palisades and neglected dwellings40. The Spaniards spurred their reluctant horses through the gateway41, and a scene of desolation met their sight. No living thing was stirring. Doors were torn from their hinges; broken boxes, staved barrels, and rusty42 kettles, mingled43 with a great number of stocks of arquebuses and muskets44, were scattered45 about in confusion. Here, too, trampled46 in mud and soaked with rain, they saw more than two hundred books, many of which still retained the traces of costly47 bindings. On the adjacent prairie lay three dead bodies, one of which, from fragments of dress still clinging to the wasted remains48, they saw to be that of a woman. It was in vain to question the imperturbable49 [Pg 470] savages50, who, wrapped to the throat in their buffalo-robes, stood gazing on the scene with looks of wooden immobility. Two strangers, however, at length arrived.[354] Their faces were smeared51 with paint, and they were wrapped in buffalo-robes like the rest; yet these seeming Indians were L'Archevêque, the tool of La Salle's murderer Duhaut, and Grollet, the companion of the white savage Ruter. The Spanish commander, learning that these two men were in the district of the tribe called Texas,[355] had sent to invite them to his camp under a pledge of good treatment; and they had resolved to trust Spanish clemency52 rather than endure longer a life that had become intolerable. From them the Spaniards learned nearly all that is known of the fate of Barbier, Zenobe Membré, and their companions. Three months before, a large band of Indians had approached the fort, the inmates53 of which had suffered severely54 from the ravages55 of the small-pox. From fear of treachery, they refused to admit their visitors, but received them at a cabin without the palisades. Here the French began a trade with them; when suddenly a band of warriors56, yelling [Pg 471] the war-whoop, rushed from an ambuscade under the bank of the river, and butchered the greater number. The children of one Talon57, together with an Italian and a young man from Paris named Breman, were saved by the Indian women, who carried them off on their backs. L'Archevêque and Grollet, who with others of their stamp were domesticated58 in the Indian villages, came to the scene of slaughter59, and, as they affirmed, buried fourteen dead bodies.[356]
[Pg 472]
L'Archevêque and Grollet were sent to Spain, where, in spite of the pledge given them, they were thrown into prison, with the intention of sending them back to labor61 in the mines. The Indians, some time after De Leon's expedition, gave up their captives to the Spaniards. The Italian was imprisoned62 at Vera Cruz. Breman's fate is unknown. Pierre and Jean Baptiste Talon, who were now old enough to bear arms, were enrolled63 in the Spanish navy, and, being captured in 1696 by a French ship of war, regained64 their liberty; while their younger brothers and their sister were carried to Spain by the Viceroy.[357] With respect to the ruffian companions of Hiens, the conviction of Tonty that they had been put to death by the Indians may have been well founded; but the buccaneer himself is said to have been killed in a quarrel with his accomplice65 Ruter, the white savage; and thus in ignominy and darkness died the last embers of the doomed66 colony of La Salle.
FRUIT OF EXPLORATIONS.
Here ends the wild and mournful story of the explorers of the Mississippi. Of all their toil67 and [Pg 473] sacrifice, no fruit remained but a great geographical68 discovery, and a grand type of incarnate69 energy and will. Where La Salle had ploughed, others were to sow the seed; and on the path which the undespairing Norman had hewn out, the Canadian D'Iberville was to win for France a vast though a transient dominion70.
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1 colonists | |
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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2 hostility | |
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争 | |
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3 havoc | |
n.大破坏,浩劫,大混乱,大杂乱 | |
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4 gulf | |
n.海湾;深渊,鸿沟;分歧,隔阂 | |
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5 nucleus | |
n.核,核心,原子核 | |
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6 domain | |
n.(活动等)领域,范围;领地,势力范围 | |
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7 revival | |
n.复兴,复苏,(精力、活力等的)重振 | |
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8 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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9 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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10 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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11 persuasion | |
n.劝说;说服;持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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12 obedience | |
n.服从,顺从 | |
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13 ammunition | |
n.军火,弹药 | |
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14 demeanor | |
n.行为;风度 | |
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15 wail | |
vt./vi.大声哀号,恸哭;呼啸,尖啸 | |
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16 lamentation | |
n.悲叹,哀悼 | |
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17 retraced | |
v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 );回忆;回顾;追溯 | |
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18 waded | |
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 hatchets | |
n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 );恶毒攻击;诽谤;休战 | |
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20 inundated | |
v.淹没( inundate的过去式和过去分词 );(洪水般地)涌来;充满;给予或交予(太多事物)使难以应付 | |
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21 intrepid | |
adj.无畏的,刚毅的 | |
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22 exertions | |
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 );费力;(能力、权力等的)运用;行使 | |
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23 robust | |
adj.强壮的,强健的,粗野的,需要体力的,浓的 | |
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24 abate | |
vi.(风势,疼痛等)减弱,减轻,减退 | |
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25 hovering | |
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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26 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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27 wilderness | |
n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等,荒漠 | |
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28 strenuous | |
adj.奋发的,使劲的;紧张的;热烈的,狂热的 | |
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29 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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30 scoured | |
走遍(某地)搜寻(人或物)( scour的过去式和过去分词 ); (用力)刷; 擦净; 擦亮 | |
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31 wrecks | |
n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 );(事故中)遭严重毁坏的汽车(或飞机等);(身体或精神上)受到严重损伤的人;状况非常糟糕的车辆(或建筑物等)v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 );使(船舶)失事,使遇难,使下沉 | |
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32 belle | |
n.靓女 | |
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33 secluded | |
adj.与世隔绝的;隐退的;偏僻的v.使隔开,使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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34 jealousy | |
n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌 | |
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35 lulled | |
vt.使镇静,使安静(lull的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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36 arid | |
adj.干旱的;(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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37 descried | |
adj.被注意到的,被发现的,被看到的 | |
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38 sentry | |
n.哨兵,警卫 | |
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39 reigned | |
vi.当政,统治(reign的过去式形式) | |
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40 dwellings | |
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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41 gateway | |
n.大门口,出入口,途径,方法 | |
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42 rusty | |
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的 | |
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43 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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44 muskets | |
n.火枪,(尤指)滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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45 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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46 trampled | |
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
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47 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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48 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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49 imperturbable | |
adj.镇静的 | |
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50 savages | |
未开化的人,野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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51 smeared | |
弄脏; 玷污; 涂抹; 擦上 | |
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52 clemency | |
n.温和,仁慈,宽厚 | |
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53 inmates | |
n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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54 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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55 ravages | |
劫掠后的残迹,破坏的结果,毁坏后的残迹 | |
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56 warriors | |
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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57 talon | |
n.爪;(如爪般的)手指;爪状物 | |
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58 domesticated | |
adj.喜欢家庭生活的;(指动物)被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 slaughter | |
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
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60 survivors | |
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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61 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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62 imprisoned | |
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63 enrolled | |
adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 );登记,招收,使入伍(或入会、入学等),参加,成为成员;记入名册;卷起,包起 | |
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64 regained | |
复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 ); 赢回; 重回; 复至某地 | |
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65 accomplice | |
n.从犯,帮凶,同谋 | |
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66 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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67 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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68 geographical | |
adj.地理的;地区(性)的 | |
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69 incarnate | |
adj.化身的,人体化的,肉色的 | |
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70 dominion | |
n.统治,管辖,支配权;领土,版图 | |
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