was run upon the shore at the highest tide. All efforts to
float her again were unavailing. The calamity was irretrievable. The
Aimable contained all the ammunition, the mechanic tools, and the
farming and household utensils. But La Salle, ever rising superior to
the blows of misfortune, still retained his firmness. Diligently he
engaged in removing the stores from the wrecked ship. One of the
shallops had been, as it was believed, treacherously destroyed.

With the one shallop which remained, he succeeded, that afternoon, in
removing from the ship to an encampment on the shore, the ammunition, a
considerable portion of the mechanic tools, the farming and domestic
utensils, and a few barrels of provisions. During the night a storm
arose. The vessel was dashed to pieces. In the morning the bay was
covered with barrels, chests, bales, and other debris of the wreck.
While affairs were in this deplorable state, the savages, about one
hundred and twenty in number, made another visit to the camp. The
shores were strewed with articles of inestimable value to these poor
Indians. Sentinels were stationed to prevent any robbery; but the
Indians manifested no disposition to perpetrate any acts of violence.

La Salle was in great want of more boats. The Indians had some, which
were dug out from immense trunks of trees, of graceful form and rich
carving, capable of carrying twenty or thirty men. As all the work on
these boats had been performed with stone hatchets, almost an infinity
of labor had been expended upon them, and they were deemed very
valuable.

La Salle sent two trusty men to the village of the Indians, to
purchase, if they could, two of the boats. When they entered the
wigwams, they found that a bale of blankets, which had drifted along
the bay, had been picked up by the Indians, and divided among them.
They made no attempt at concealment. Not having any clear views of the
rights of property, they had no thought that they had done anything
wrong in taking goods which they had found drifting in the water. The
officers returned to La Salle with this report.

Suffering from shipwreck and great destitution, it was necessary for
him to economize, as much as possible, in his expenditures. He
therefore decided to send some men to the Indians, to endeavor to
obtain two boats in exchange for the blankets and a few other articles
which they had picked up. M. Hamel, one of Beaujeu's officers,
volunteered to go on this mission