CHAPTER XXV.
EARLY DISCOVERERS.
The progress of the little steamer was necessarily much slower nowthan when the boys had come down the river, moving as she was againstthe strong current. There was, however, too much of inspiration in theexperience to make the young campers feel impatient, and as there werebut few passengers besides themselves on board, they took their chairsto a sheltered spot on the upper deck, and the sounds of their merrylaughter and shouts soon resounded over the river. They cheered thepassing boats, and gave their school cry whenever they approached acamp.
After a time even these measures became tame and failed to satisfy theboys, and Bob, quick to seize his opportunity, said, "I'll now resumemy lectures, with your kind permission."
"I don't think our permission will have much to do with it," saidBen. "You'll go on just the same."
Bob scowled, but as he knew the boys really were interested, andwanted to learn something more about the early discoverers, hebegan:--
"When Cartier returned to France after his second voyage, thehardships and losses he had to report were not, of course, veryencouraging to the Frenchmen, who wanted him to find a country wherethe streets of the cities were all paved with gold. But Francis de LaRoque, the Lord of Roberval in Picardy, had himself appointed viceroyand lieutenant-general of the new territory, Cartier still beingcalled captain-general and chief pilot of the king's ships.
"Five vessels were then fitted out, and in May, 1541, Cartier startedwith two of them and was soon afterward joined by the others. Then allfive started across the ocean blue, and three months later landed atSainte Croix. He began to cruise about, and finally sent two of hisships back to France, though he kept the other three at the mouth ofthe Red River.
"Cartier then went up to Hochelaga, hoping to be able to come fartherup the river, but the winter was a terrible one, and his men were sodiscouraged that in the spring, his provisions being exhausted, andthe Indians beginning to cut up, he sailed away for France. On the wayover he met Roberval, who ordered him to go back again; but Cartierdid not see it in that light, so he kept on, and finally got back toFrance, where he lived and died in peace."
"Oh, more! more!" said Ben, mockingly.
Bob laughed as he replied, "There was no more, so far as Cartier wasconcerned. It was three times and out with him."
"Then he never came as far up the St. Lawrence as we are now?" askedBert.
"No. Cartier never did. Of course others came, and I'll tell you aboutthem."
"It's a wonderful river," murmured Jock. "And just think of it,fellows. We're sailing over the very same river those old chaps did.Just the same, after three hundred years have gone."
"No, it isn't the same," replied Ben.
"Why not, I'd like to know?" demanded Jock.
"Oh, the water keeps running away all the time. They call it the sameriver, but it's never the same for any two minutes. The banks are thesame, but the river itself is constantly changing."
"You're getting it down too fine for me," said Jock. "And that'sCanada, over there," he added, pointing to the distant shore as hespoke. "I wonder where they got that name. Do you know, Bob?"
"There are two theories," replied Bob, quickly. "One is based on thestory that Stefano Gomez, a Spaniard, was the first white man to enterthe Gulf of St. Lawrence, and that he came in 1525. He died over heresomewhere, I believe, so the story can't be denied. There is an oldSpanish tradition that he came into the gulf and landed, and when hedidn't find any gold, or mines, or any of the things for which he waslooking, he exclaimed, 'Aca-nada,' which means, I'm told, 'Here isnothing.' And Canada is said to be derived from that."
"What's the other theory? You said there were two, Bob," said Jock.
"Oh, the other is that Canada is another form of the Indian word,Ka-na-ta, which means a village. I've given you both, and you can takeyour choice."
"But how did the gulf and the river get their names, Professor?" askedBen.
"Cartier gave it to them in honor of the saint who was supposed to bethe patron of the day when he made his discovery--the 10th of August,you know. I think the saint deserved to have his name given, too, forit is said he was broiled on a gridiron in 253."
"Good time," remarked Ben, dryly. "Two forty is better, though."
"Bob," demanded Bert, "how do you know all this stuff. I don't see howone small head can contain all you know."
"That isn't original, my friend," remarked Bob. "You have the idea butnot the language of our last text-book in English Lit. How do I knowso much? Oh, it comes natural to some people. I know a heap more thanI have told you, though. If you want me to, I'll give you some of itnow. We haven't got to Ogdensburgh yet."
"Oh, do! do! Lend the charm of your voice to these interesting detailsyou have picked out of some almanac," said Ben.
"I'll lend you my voice if you'll lend me your ears!" rejoined Bob.
"Never!" shouted Ben, clasping those members as he spoke.
"Well, turn the whole length of them toward me and it'll do just aswell. They're more becoming to you than they would be to me."
"Oh, go on with your yarn," interrupted Bert. "We'll listen to youtill we get to Ogdensburgh. After that, if you dare refer to one ofthe early discoverers, overboard you go! Doesn't he, fellows?"
"Hear! Hear!" shouted Ben, sitting quickly erect.
"I shan't forget," said Bob, laughing. "You fellows seem to think I'mgiving you these facts for the fun of the thing."
"You are," said Ben.
"It may be rare sport," said Bob, "but I don't see it in just thatlight. I'm trying to teach you something, so that when you go back tothe city you'll be able to make a half-decent appearance."
"Nonsense!" protested Ben. "You've been cramming up, and are justspreading your knowledge before us, the way Ethan says his peacockgets into the house and spreads his tail in front of the looking-glassand struts around like all possessed. You can't fool us, Bob."
"I don't have to," said Bob, good-naturedly.
"Quit your fooling and go on with your story, Bob," said Jock. "We'llbe at Ogdensburgh pretty soon, and then you're under bonds not torefer to another discoverer there. And I want to know about thesethings."
"All right," said Bob. "Well, the French kept sending somebody overhere almost every year after Cartier stopped coming, but nothing ofany consequence was done before 1608. Then a Calvinist named DeMontsobtained freedom for himself and his religious sympathizers in the NewWorld, only the Catholic religion was to be established among thenatives, and finally Champlain and Pontgrave were sent over here inthat year to begin a settlement and look after the trade in furs. Theywere both sterling men and had had plenty of experience, and no betterones could have been found.
"Champlain reached Tadousac on the 3d of June, and after a month wasat Quebec, where Cartier had spent the winter almost three-quarters ofa century before. He saw what a fine site there was there for a city,and at once selected the spot as the place for a settlement.
"The next spring, in April, Samuel Champlain, along with two of theFrenchmen, started up the great river. They got along fairly well, andat last turned to the south and went down and discovered the lakewhich now bears his name, and then went on into the other lake, which,as you know, is Lake George."
"Yes, I've heard of that lake," murmured Ben.
"Five years afterward," continued Bob, ignoring the interruption,"Champlain succeeded in having four Recollets appointed to begin amission work among the Indians. To get the favor of the red men,Champlain himself, and a priest named Joseph Le Cavon, went with themto help whip the Iroquois; but the Iroquois weren't in a mood to bewhipped that time, and drove off their enemies and wounded Champlain,just as if he hadn't come on his merciful errand."
"Hold on, Bob," said Jock. "You didn't tell us whether Champlain foundLake George all named when he got there."
"It was named," replied Bob, "though it wasn't named George. TheIndians called it Horicon, and the Frenchmen named it Lake St.Sacram
ent. Sir William Johnson, afterward, for good and sufficientreasons, changed it to Lake George. But to resume. When Champlain waswounded he had to spend the winter with the Indians; but he made gooduse of his time and learned a lot about them--their language, customs,and all that sort of thing.
"It was in 1625 when Henri de Levi, Duke de Ventadour--he hadpurchased the vice-royalty of New France, you see, before this time,for they didn't mind such little things as selling a kingdom or two,with a world and a few stars thrown in--sent over here FatherLallemant and four other Jesuit priests and laymen. Father Lallemantwas a good man and very earnest, and the Recollets, of course,received him and his companions very kindly.
"In the following year three other Jesuit priests were also sent overhere, along with some settlers and mechanics, and they soon made thelittle settlement begin to look something like a town. In 1629 theEnglish happened to come along, and quietly took the place as theirown; but there was a treaty made, and they had to stand by it, so theFrench owned the town again in 1632; and the very next year Champlainwas appointed once more as governor of New France. He'd been governorbefore, you see, and this was only putting him back into his ownplace. But he didn't live very long, for, if I recollect aright, hedied in December, 1635."
"What for?" inquired Ben, soberly. "Were the gubernatorial honors tooheavy for his shoulders? Perhaps he didn't like the political methodsof the Indians. I wish you'd explain it, Bob."
"From that time, for a good while, the Jesuit missionaries kept comingover here, and the work they did was something marvellous. They wentup the river and kept on out along the lakes, and even down otherrivers. They dressed as the Indians did, and ate and lived with them,just to learn their ways and convince the red men that they were theirfriends. They were tortured sometimes, horribly, but they neverflinched. They just kept right on, and you can well believe it wasn'tvery long before their priests had a grip on the Indians which wasn'tvery small. Every tribe of the Iroquois of New York had its ownspecial missionary, and almost every nation out along the lakes anddown the Mississippi had one too; and they made themselves of so muchuse, going with the men even into battle, that they're not forgottenyet.
"Well, of course, where the missionaries went, there business wenttoo; and it wasn't long before fur-trading posts were establishedwherever the Jesuits were. Then, to protect the fur traders, and tokeep the English from getting any of the business, soldiers had to besent along; and so, as Quebec was the head centre of the whole affair,it wasn't long before there was a regular business all along the St.Lawrence, long before any real settlements were made on its borders,or at least along the lakes."
"I say, Bob," interrupted Ben, "did you ever read any of OliverWendell Holmes's books?"
"Yes, I've read the 'Autocrat.'"
"Do you remember about that chap who could talk a lot on somesubjects, and didn't know anything about others?"
"You mean the one who'd read a volume or two in the cyclopaedia, andnot much besides?"
"Pre-e-cisely! Now I've found you out. _You've_ been reading a volumeof the cyclopaedia, and are giving us its contents."
"Which volume?" asked Bob.
"The one that has the C's in it. Cartier, Champlain, Canada, Cavon,Catholic, Cortereal--don't you see, fellows?" he added, turningtriumphantly to his friends. "We've found him out! He's crammed up onhis C's. Now, to prove it, let's ask him some questions on othersubjects. What was the first settlement above Quebec? What soldierscame in here? Who was--who was--a--a--"
"Hello! That's Ogdensburgh ahead there!" exclaimed Bob, suddenly; andas he spoke he ran quickly to the bow of the steamer, ostensibly toobtain a better view of the town which they were approaching.