exploration. All that he would grant was a monopoly of the
western fur trade. That is to say, La Verendrye was to be allowed to
build trading forts in the country which he was about to explore, and,
out of the profits of his traffic with the Indians, he might pay the
cost of his expedition to the Western Sea. No other French traders
would be permitted to trade in this part of the country.

This was sorry encouragement to a man whose only desire was to bring
glory and honour to his native country; but it was all that could be
hoped for from the government or the king. La Verendrye was too true a
leader to abandon plans merely because the road was not made easy for
him. As the king would not pay the cost of his expedition, he {18}
made up his mind to find help from some other source. He must have
men; he must have canoes, provisions, and goods to trade with the
natives. All this demanded a great deal of money. He devoted at once
to the cause his own little fortune, but this was far from sufficient.
Off he went to Montreal, to plead with its merchants to help him. The
merchants, however, were not much interested in his plans for western
discovery. They were business men without patriotism; they looked for
something that would bring profit, not for what might advance the
interests of their country.

It thus happened that if La Verendrye had had nothing to offer them but
the opportunity of sharing in the distinction of his great discovery,
they would have turned deaf ears to his appeal, no matter how eloquent
he might have been. But he was too shrewd a man to urge plans to which
he knew the merchants would not listen. He could turn the king's
monopoly to good account. 'Give me money to pay my men,' he said, 'and
goods to trade with the western tribes, and I will bring you rich
returns in beaver skins. No other traders are permitted to go into the
country west of Lake Superior. I will build trading forts {19} there.
From these as a base I will continue my search for the Western Sea.
All the profits of the enterprise, the rich furs that are brought into
my posts, shall be yours.' Here was something that the self-seeking
merchants could understand. They saw in the fur-trading monopoly a
chance of a golden harvest, a return of hundreds for every franc that
they advanced towards the expenses of the undertaking. With cheerful
haste, therefore, they agreed to pay the cost of the expedition. La
Verendrye was del