The unfortunate La Salle had died with his ardent and long-cherished
dream unfulfilled. But after more than thirty years, another man had
begun to realize that dream. Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville
had sailed with French ships up the beloved river; his colonists were
fast peopling the beautiful wilderness, and already the infant city of
New Orleans lay strong and thriving on the bank of the Mississippi.
The commandant of Louisiana, though busied with his growing colony, kept
yet a watchful eye upon the grasping Spaniards, who claimed the country
eastward nearly to the Mississippi. But France claimed westward as far
as the bay of San Bernard, by virtue of La Salle’s discovery. Bienville
determined to make good the claim of France. In August, 1721, he fitted
out a small vessel, the _Subtile_, told off a detachment of tried
soldiers, and placed Bernard de la Harpe, an experienced captain, in
command. The expedition set out at once to recover La Salle’s old fort.
Belleisle, on account of his knowledge of the country and the Indian
language, was sent along as guide.
The surprise and the rage of the Indians when they saw the hated flag
waving again above the fort may be imagined. They threw themselves with
such fury against the newcomers that La Harpe, seeing his small garrison
in danger of massacre, withdrew quietly, and returned in October to New
Orleans.
Fort St. Louis was left at last to a solitude never again to be broken.
Vines grew over the crumbling walls and sprawled across the floors where
human feet had passed; lizards basked in crevices of the blockhouse; and
wild creatures from the wood took up their abode in the chapel. Day by
day and year by year decay and change went on, until there came a time
when nothing remained to tell of the place where the first settlers of
Texas lived, suffered, rejoiced, and perished.
II.
SAN ANTONIO.
(1714-1794.)