152 BARON LA HONTAN — LONG RIVER. 



" The village of the Sakis, Pouteouatamis, and some Malominis, 

 are seated on the side of that river, and the Jesuits have a house 

 or college built upon it." Ascending the Fox River, called "the 

 river of Puants," he came to a village of " Kikapous, which 

 stands on the brink of a little lake in which the savages fish great 

 quantities of pikes and gudgeons." (Lake Winnebago?) 



Still ascending the river, he passed through the " little lake of 

 the Malominis," the sides of which "are covered with a sort of 

 oats which grow in tufts, with a small stalk, and of which the 

 savages reap plentiful crops," and at length arrived at the land 

 carriage of Ouisconsinc, which we finished in two days ; that is, 

 we left the river Puants, and transported our canoes and baggage 

 to the river Ouisconsinc, which is not above three-quarters of a 

 league distant or thereabouts." Descending the Wisconsin, in 

 four days he reached its mouth, and landed on an island in the 

 river Mississippi. 



So far the journey of the Baron La Hontan is plain enough ; but 

 beyond this point it is rather apocryphal. He states that he as- 

 cended the Mississippi for nine days, when he " entered the mouth 

 of the Long River, which looks like a lake full of bulrushes." 

 He sailed up this river for six weeks, passing through various na- 

 tions of savages, of which a most fanciful description is given. 

 At length, deterred by the advance of the season, he abandoned 

 the intention of reaching the heads of the river, and returned to 

 Canada, having, at the termination of his voyage, first "fixed a 

 great long pole, with the arms of France done upon a plate of 

 lead." The following is his description of "the Long River." 

 " You must know that the stream of the Long River is all along 

 very slack and easy, abating for about three leagues between the 

 fourteenth and fifteenth village ; for there, indeed, its current may 

 be called rapid. The channel is so straight that it scarce winds 

 at all from the head to the lake. 'Tis true 'tis not very pleasant, 

 for most of its banks have a dismal prospect, and the water itself 

 has an ugly taste ; but then its usefulness atones for such incon- 

 veniences, for 'tis navigable with the greatest ease, and will bear 

 barques of fifty tons, till you come to that place that is marked 

 with a flower-de-luce in the map, and where I put up the post 

 that my soldiers christened La Hontan s limit.'' 



It was at this place that the baron received his information re- 

 specting the lake of salt water. He says, " Two days after, the 

 cacick" (of the Gnacsitares) "came to see me, and brought mth 



