Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #10: Blades of Freedom
IN SUMMER OF 1667 LA SALLE SAILED TO THE AMERICAS HE ARRIVED IN MONTREAL I'M GOING TO LEARN TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF THE IROQUOIS WITH THE HELP OF THE JESUITS I WILL EXPLORE THIS NEW LAND THE JESUIT PRIESTS CALLED BLACK ROBES TRAVELED UP AND DOWN THE RIVERS TRYING TO SPREAD CATHOLICISM AMONG THE NATIVE COMMUNITIES AEDES AEGYPTI CAME TO THE NEW WORLD WITH THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE DEEP IN THESE HOLDS IN OAKEN BARRELS OF WARM WATER OUR EGGS WERE CARRIED ACROSS THE SEA WHEN THESE HORRIBLE SHIPS BROUGHT ENSLAVED HUMANS FROM AFRICA THEY BROUGHT US TOO WE MIGHT SUCK BLOOD BUT WE DONT PUT EACH OTHER IN CHAINS IN 1647 WE LANDED IN BARBADOS THERE WERENT MOSQUITOES IN THE NEW WORLD BEFORE THIS WE ARE SPECIAL FROM THERE WE SPREAD THROUGH THE YUCATAN PENINSULA AND THE CARIBBEAN WE WERE LIKE YOUR JESUIT PRIESTS- ONLY WE SPREAD YELLOW FEVER OF COURSE THERE WERE JUST NOT AEDES AEGYPTI YOU CAN SPOT US BY THE PRETTY WHITE STRIPES ON OUR LEGS AND THE FIDDLE SHAPE ON OUR BACKS 10
IN 1669 LA SALLE BEGAN EXPLORING THE RIVERS HIS BAND OF EXPLORERS MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO MODERN DAY LOUISVILLE KENTUCKY HIS GUIDES DESERTED HIM THERE HE TRAVELED BY CANOE TO THE GREAT LAKES ISNT THIS AN EXCITING ADVENTURE READY FOR ANOTHER DAY OF EXPLORING EVERYONE LEFT BUT A SHAWNEE GUIDE NAMED NIKA BLESS YOU NIKA HELLO AND CURSE THE REST OF THOSE FOOLS LEAVING ME OUT HERE TO DIE GUYS I GUESS WE GO BACK NOW BUT HE TURNED BACK TO MONTREAL THE COLD STOPS US TOO WERE TROPICAL WE CANT SURVIVE THE WINTERS IF LA SALLE HAD GONE A LITTLE FARTHER HE WOULD HAVE MADE A MAJOR DISCOVERY THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER I COULD HAVE GONE FARTHER BUT THE COLD AND RAIN MADE ME SICK FORTUNATELY FOR US THERE ARE PLACES IN THE AMERICAS THAT STAY WARM ALL YEAR ROUND 11
BEFORE LA SALLE COULD PLAN HIS NEXT ADVENTURE TWO OTHER FRENCH EXPLORERS JESUIT PRIEST JACQUES MARQUETTE AND TRAPPER LOUIS JOLIET REACHED THE MISSISSIPPI FIRST HEY JOLIET THIS IS ONE BIG RIVER SURE IS MARQUETTE REAL BIG YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT THE MISSISSIPPI WE'VE BEEN USING THIS BIG RIVER FOR CENTURIES AND I HERNANDO DE SOTO A CONQUISTADOR OF SPAIN CROSSED THE MISSISSIPPI IN 1541 OVER A HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER TAKE THAT FRENCHIES WHOA 1541 WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM HE DIED OF A FEVER JOLIET AND MARQUETTE FOUND A GIANT RIVER THAT LOOKS LIKE IT WILL CONTINUE ALL THE WAY TO FLORIDA NOT YELLOW FEVER WE WEREN'T EVEN HERE IN 1541 I WILL BE THE FIRST TO FOLLOW IT TO THE SEA AS IT GREW WARMER THEY SAW NEW ANIMALS ALLIGATORS SNAPPING TURTLES AND CATFISH A PARTY OF FRENCH EXPLORERS AND NATIVE AMERICAN GUIDES SET OUT ON DECEMBER 28 1681 THIS PLACE IS TERRIFYING THEY PULLED SLEDS DOWN THE FROZEN ILLINOIS RIVER UNTIL THEY GOT TO THE MISSISSIPPI 12
THE RIVER SPLIT INTO THREE BRANCHES A PARTY FOLLOWED EACH BRANCH AND THEN THEY FOUND THE SEA WEVE DONE IT THEY PADDLED BACK TO THE PLACE WHERE THE RIVER DIVIDED AND THERE RENÉ ROBERT CAVELIER DE LA SALLE PUT ON A FANCY CLOAK AND CLAIMED IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HIGH POWERFUL INVINCIBLE AND VICTORIOUS PRINCE LOUIS THE GREAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD KING OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE FOURTEENTH OF THE NAME I THIS NINTH DAY OF APRIL 1682 DO NOW TAKE IN THE NAME OF HIS MAJESTY AND OF HIS SUCCESSORS TO THE CROWN POSSESSION OF THIS COUNTRY OF LOUISIANA JUST LIKE THAT WHAT'S HE BLABBERING ON ABOUT HE JUST CLAIMED THIS WHOLE AREA FOR FRANCE JUST LIKE THAT WHAT DID THE NATIVES THINK WHAT DID KING LOUIS XIV THINK NEVERTHELESS LOUISIANA NOW BELONGED TO FRANCE HE WASN'T IMPRESSED EITHER SPANISH TERRITORY FRENCH TERRITORY BRITISH TERRITORY THEY PROBABLY THOUGHT IT WAS A SILLY THING FOR A WHITE MAN IN A FANCY ROBE TO SAY LA SALLES DISCOVERY IS QUITE USELESS EXCEPT WHEN IT WAS WARM AND WET THEN LOUISIANA BELONGED TO AEDES AEGYPTI 13
