out the King's commands since he had landed the colonists according to La Salle's directions, on March 12 Captain Beaujeu sailed away.9 La Salle, eager to be the only commander, probably rejoiced at Beaujeu's going, but many of the colonists, already discouraged, begged to return with the captain.

Fort St. Louis.- La Salle ordered a rude fort built from the wreckage of "The Aimable" so as to give shelter and protection to the colonists. Leaving Joutel in charge, La Salle took a few men and went out to explore the country. To his bitter disappointment he found he had made a serious mistake: the Mississippi River was nowhere near. What was he to do? His nature knew but one answer to keep searching until he found the lost river. But first, provision must be made for the women, the children and the sick, of whom there were many. The spot where they had hastily encamped when "The Aimable " was wrecked had not proved satisfactory. On rising ground six miles perhaps above the mouth of the Lavaca River, a good site was found and here La Salle erected Fort St. Louis. In spite of trouble with the Indians and the death of many of their number, the colonists were made fairly comfortable. A large building of timber, roofed with boards and rawhides, was used for lodgings. Deer, birds, fish and buffaloes were plentiful; fowls, swine and goats had been brought from France.

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Search for the Mississippi.- By October, 1685, La Salle felt he could leave the colony and search for the fatal river." His first long journey was fruitless. His last ship, "The Belle," a personal gift from King Louis, the only hope of the colonists for returning home, was wrecked and ruined; his men were full of plots; violent illness fell upon him; many of his most

valuable papers were lost. Locking his sorrows in his own heart, he uttered no word of complaint, but made ready for a final, desperate journey. To obtain help for his colony he must find the Mississippi, ascend its waters, reach Canada, secure what aid he could there, and send one of his companions on to France to ask for more assistance, while he hurried back to Fort St. Louis.

In 1683 La Salle had left Tonty,10 his brave, trusty soldier-friend, in command of Fort St. Louis on the Illinois with orders to keep a small body of men there and at the mouth of the Arkansas, so that in case of need the French from the south might send for succor. The hour of need had come and La Salle's plan was to reach Tonty as soon as possible. Before starting (January 12, 1687) the great leader called the few remaining colonists about him and in tender, touching words, told why he must leave, charged them to remember the cause of their coming to America and to picture the disappointment of their King, if they failed in their purpose. Lastly he encouraged and bade them a solemn farewell. To go hundreds of miles over a country of which he knew little, where there were no roads except Indian trails, where swift and swollen rivers crossed his path, where wild Indians might at any moment rush upon him was the task that La Salle was undertaking.

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Quarrels. The little party of seventeen contained as its chief men La Salle; his older brother, the priest called Abbé Cavelier: two nephews, Moranget (mor-än-jā') and the "boy Cavelier now about seventeen years old"; Joutel, who was to leave the best history of the expedition; the friar, Anastase (ä-näs'-täs) Douay (Doo-ay'); Duhaut (Dū-hō'), a man of good family and some education; Liotot (Le-o'-to), the physician. Journeying in a northern direction, they crossed the Brazos. The

weather was wretched; the men were uncomfortable; La Salle was stern and silent; Duhaut disliked Moranget, who was both rash and insolent. Duhaut was sent with others to secure certain provisions buried by La Salle on a former trip. They found the provisions spoiled, but Nika, a trusty Indian hunter, shot two buffaloes. Camping on the spot, Duhaut began to prepare the meat; he sent a messenger to La Salle asking for horses to carry back the heavy load. Unfortunately Moranget was dispatched with the horses; he and Duhaut quarreled violently over the choice pieces of meat. That night while Moranget, Nika and Saget (an Indian servant who was devoted to La Salle), were asleep, Duhaut and Liotot aided by others murdered them. When morning came these ruffians decided that La Salle too must die. Murder of La Salle.- For two or three days La Salle awaited the return of Moranget. He grew uneasy and seemed filled with gloomy forebodings. On March 19, unable longer to bear the suspense, taking with him an Indian guide and Father Anastase Douay, he started for Duhaut's camp. Seeing two eagles flying low and thinking this a sign the camp was near, he fired his gun and pistol to let them know of his approach. Duhaut's party hid themselves in the long grass; Duhaut and Liotot had their guns ready to fire. Duhaut's servant came into the open that he might be seen. La Salle advancing called out: "Where is my nephew?" "He is down the river somewhere," the servant answered. Just then a bullet came whizzing through the air, followed by still another. La Salle fell, shuddered, and without a word died. The priest, frozen with terror, stood unable to move. Duhaut, seeing his fright, shouted: "Take courage. We shall not harm you." Gathering about the body of their fallen chief, the mur

derers gloried in their bloody work. Liotot cried out again and again: "There thou liest, great Bashaw. There thou liest!" 11 In that lonely spot perished Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, the man whom Louis the Grand had delighted to honor, the man whose name and fame were to form part of America's history.

The Colony. The murderers did not prosper; they soon quarreled among themselves and both Duhaut and Liotot were killed. Joutel, Abbé Cavelier, the young nephew, Douay and a few others made the long journey northward, found Tonty and finally returned to France. They begged that the King send aid to the helpless little group left at Fort St. Louis on the Lavaca, but "Louis XIV hardened his heart and left them to their fate."

The colonists, after La Salle left the Fort, fared badly. They could not agree among themselves; sickness, especially the small-pox, swept away many. Finally the Indians, in a fierce attack, killed all but two men, who became captives; some children also were taken, the squaws carrying them away on their backs. On this, the first real European settlement 12 on our rested the claims of France to Texas.

SPANISH CLAIMS

State's soil,

Numerous Discoveries.- Spain declared herself the lawful owner of Texas on account of: (1) The discovery of America by Columbus; (2) The conquest of Mexico 13 (of which country Texas was considered a part) by the Spanish under Cortes (kôr-tez); (3) The explorations of Spanish officers. Among these explorers were: Cabeza de Vaca14 (ka-bā'-sa da vä’-ka), Coronado (kor-o-nä'-do), De Soto, whose expedition passed near the spot where Texarkana now stands, and Espejo (ĕs-pā'-hō), who halted at El Paso and Santa Fé.

Spain also claimed the entire Gulf of Mexico and King Philip II forbade, on pain of death, any foreigner to sail on the Gulf. It was in obedience to this order that one of La Salle's ships had been captured.

Spanish Search for La Salle. At the time of the capture of La Salle's ship, the Spaniards learned from the sailors that the French were on their way to plant a colony on the Gulf shore. Four different times Spanish vessels were sent out to destroy the intruders, but failed to find La Salle's fort. Expeditions from Mexico were also sent overland, but it was not until 1689 that Captain De Leon (lä-ōn') and his men found the ruins of Fort St. Louis.

Spanish Settlements.-On De Leon's return, the Viceroy of Mexico inquired closely into the condition of affiairs. From the reports of De Leon and Father Massanet 15 (mäss-ah-náy) he decided to found a mission in Texas.16 In 1690, at the request of the Indians, the mission of San Francisco de los Tejas (tā'has) was established in the land of the Tejas.17 The mission was not successful; when drouth ruined their crops the savages lost faith in the "God of the pale-face" and were ready to rebel and go back into their old wandering life; the soldiers were harsh and cruel to the Indians, while the red men grew to hate the bold Europeans who claimed to be masters of everything on land and sea. In 1693, the priests, at the command of the Spanish government, abandoned the missions; in the hours of night they buried their bells and other property they could not take with them, and sadly returned to Mexico. For some twenty years after this neither Spain nor France took steps toward colonizing Texas.

The Crozat (cro-zä') Grant.- In 1712 the King of France gave the sole right of Louisiana 18 trade to An