Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/110

 thirty-five to forty by land, by taking the prairies. All present, seeing that we could not pass further and that we ran a great risk of damaging our canoes so that we could not leave, being in a place without resources for repairing them, having neither gum nor resin, felt that it was more suitable to remain in a place where there was plenty and which was on the road to go to the English, that we had reason to hope well of the people and all persons who certainly do not go to Fort Maurepas. I resolved on the morning of the 3rd to select an advantageous place to build a fort, which I made them begin immediately. I still hoped that M. de la Marque would come to join me. If I had gone higher up he would not have been able to find me. I spoke to the Assiniboines whilst they were building an oven, I assembled them near my tent, made them a present in your name, of powder, ball, tobacco, axes, knives, paring knives, awls, the whole much valued among those who are in great need of everything. They received me with great ceremony; many with tears in testimony of their joy in exchange for their grief s. I received them among the number of your children, giving them afterwards full instructions respecting your orders, repeating them several times in order that they might comprehend. That appeared to give them great pleasure.

They thanked me greatly, promised to do wonders. I recommended them to inform the Assiniboines of the Red River that there were Frenchmen among them; that the French would not abandon them; so long as they had intelligence they ought to know the kindness you had for them by sending them what they needed from such a distance; that their relative, the old man, whom I had brought with me, could tell them what had taken place with us daily. He, in truth, spared nothing to inform them and to teach them what it is to have to do with the French; all ended in great weeping and thanks.