e that any French vessel would ever search for them; or
could find them, even if such search were undertaken. The Indians were
hostile. Death would gradually diminish their numbers, and finally the
remnant would either be exterminated or carried into captivity by the
savages.

To add to the affliction of La Salle, the Belle, the only vessel
remaining to him, was wrecked and utterly lost. Several of the sailors
were drowned; and stores of inestimable value were destroyed. Father Le
Clercq, in describing this untoward event, writes:

"We leave the reader to imagine the grief and the affliction felt
by the Chevalier La Salle, at an accident which completely ruined
all his measures. His great courage even could not have borne him
up, had not God aided his virtue by the help of extraordinary
grace."

Until the loss of the Belle, he had been sustained by the hope that, in
the last extremity, the remnant of his company might find their way
back to St. Domingo, and thence to France. This hope was now
extinguished.

Under these circumstances La Salle resolved to undertake another
exploring tour. Having refreshed himself and his men, and obtained new
articles of clothing, mainly by distributing the garments of the dead
among the living, early in May, 1686, the party again set forth. Those
who remained behind employed themselves in strengthening the
fortifications; in unsuccessfully cultivating the soil, for most of the
seeds would not sprout, and in the chase, laying in a store of jerked
meat. They had several hostile rencontres with the Indians, in which
the savages were invariably beaten, in consequence of the superiority
of the weapons of the Europeans.

But there was no harmony in the settlement. Loud murmurs ascended
continually. Some denounced La Salle. Some defended him. The
antagonistic parties were almost ready to draw their swords against
each other.

CHAPTER XV.

_A Trip toward Mexico._

Arrangements for the Journey. The Departure. Indians on Horseback.
Scenes of Enchantment. Attractive Character of La Salle. Visit to the
Kironas. The Bite of the Snake. Adventures Wild and Perilous. Hardihood
of the Indian Hunter. The Long Sickness. A Man Devoured by a Crocodile.
The Return.

Though La Salle was now more than four hundred miles west of the
Mississippi River, he was still under the impression that he was east
of that point. He therefore, in his blind search, directed his steps
t