been in these parts before on fur-trading expeditions,
and 'twas probable that De Artigny had stopped there on one of his
voyages with La Salle. But to all the others the place had been merely
a name, and our imagination had invested it with an importance
scarcely justified by what we saw as our canoes drew in toward the
beach.

The miserable little village was upon a point of land, originally
covered with heavy growth of forest. A bit of this had been rudely
cut, the rotting stumps still standing, and from the timber a dozen
rough log houses had been constructed facing the lake. A few rods
back, on slightly higher land, was a log chapel, and a house, somewhat
more pretentious than the others, in which the priests lodged. The
whole aspect of the place was peculiarly desolate and depressing,
facing that vast waste of water, the black forest shadows behind, and
those rotting stumps in the foreground.

Nor was our welcome one to make the heart rejoice. Scarce a dozen
persons gathered at the beach to aid us in making landing, rough
_engages_ mostly, and not among them all a face familiar. It was only
later, when two priests from the mission came hurrying forward, that
we were greeted by cordial speech. These invited a few of us to become
guests at the mission house, and assigned the remainder of our party
to vacant huts.

Cassion, Chevet, and Pere Allouez accompanied me as I walked beside a
young priest up the beaten path, but De Artigny was left behind with
the men. I overheard Cassion order him to remain, but he added some
word in lower voice, which brought a flush of anger into the younger
man's face, although he merely turned on his heel without reply.

The young Jesuit beside me--a pale-faced, delicate appearing man,
almost emaciated in his long black robe--scarcely breathed a word as
we climbed the rather steep ascent, but at the door of the mission
house paused gravely, and directed our attention to the scene unrolled
behind. It was indeed a vista of surpassing beauty, for from this
point we could perceive the distant curve of the shore, shadowed by
dark forests, while the lake itself, silvered by the setting sun
stretched afar to the horizon, unbroken in its immensity except for an
island lifting its rock front leagues away.

So greatly was I impressed with the view, that after we had been shown
into the bare room of the mission, where scarcely a comfort was to be
seen, I crossed to the one window, and stood