ich threatened to tear the masts
from the hulls.

On the 14th of January they attempted again to effect a landing in the
boats. But the surf prevented. They saw, however, upon a beautiful
prairie, extending with its waving grass and gorgeous flowers as far as
the eye could reach, vast herds of wild horses and buffaloes. All on
board the vessels were greatly excited by this spectacle. They were
eager to land, that they might enjoy the pleasure of an encampment and
the excitement of hunting and the chase.

The land was now found trending more and more to the south. They had
reached a latitude considerably below that of the mouth of the
Mississippi, as ascertained by La Salle, upon his first visit. The
whole aspect of the country seemed changed. There were immense treeless
prairies continually opening before them, crowded with game, and
especially with immense herds of horses and buffaloes.

At length they came to apparently the mouth of a small river. A boat
was sent on shore, with orders to kindle a fire, as a signal, should
they find a good place for landing. La Salle stood upon the deck of the
Aimable, eagerly watching. Soon he saw the smoke curling up through the
clear air of the prairie. Just as La Salle was entering his boat for
the shore, the wind freshened and tumbled in such billows from the open
sea that the boat, which had already landed, was compelled
precipitately to return. The next morning the wind abated La Salle felt
himself lost. He resolved to land, with a strong party, and make a
thorough exploration of the region, that he might, by observation or by
communication with such inhabitants as he might discover, find out
where he was. He had many apprehensions that he had passed the mouth of
the Mississippi, and that he was far in the west, skirting the coast of
Mexico.

CHAPTER XIV.

_Lost in the Wilderness._

Treachery of Beaujeu. Accumulating Troubles. Anxieties of La Salle.
March on the Land. The Encampment. Wreck of the Aimable. Misadventure
with the Indians. Commencement of Hostilities. Desertion of Beaujeu
with the Joli. The Encampment. The Indians Solicit Friendship. The
Cruel Repulse. Sickness and Sorrow. Exploring Expeditions. The
Mississippi sought for in vain.

The altercation between La Salle and Beaujeu still continued. The
chevalier feared that the captain designed to abandon him and return to
France. Parties were formed, and the dispute on board the vessels was
bitter. La S