Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/73



, and other flourishing cities were to be built more than one hundred and fifty years later.

On the 25th day of June they landed on the west shore, and discovered human footprints in the sand. They followed them to a path which led up the bluff to the westward. Leaving their boats in care of their companions, Marquette and Joliet ascend an elevation, and standing upon the bluff, gazed westward over an ocean of green grass waving in the breeze like the long swell of the sea. As far as the eye could reach were elevations covered with miniature groves, serving as guides to the natives in their wanderings. The stillness of a desert pervaded the beautiful landscape, which had a charm of wildness unsurpassed.

Following a path for several miles in a westerly direction, they saw a fringe of woods extending from the north, southeasterly. Columns of smoke were ascending in the distance, sure indications of human beings. Soon they came in sight of wigwams erected in a grove which they discovered to be a part of an Indian village. It was built on the banks of another river much smaller than the Mississippi. Its shores were shaded by a wide belt of oak, elm, walnut, maple and sycamore.

The natives were greatly astonished at the sight of the visitors, but no hostile demonstrations were made, while they gazed with wonder upon the white men who had so suddenly come among them. It is likely that few, if any of these Indians, had ever before seen a European. The Indians made signs of friendship and offered the Frenchmen the pipe of peace. The natives proved to be a band of the Illinois tribe, and had two other villages a few miles distant. The river upon whose banks they were living, was called by them the Mon-in-go-na. Marquette was well enough acquainted with the language of the Illinois nation to be able to converse with the villagers. When he had explained to them who their visitors were, the object of their voyage, and his pleasure at meeting some of the