When Mar-quette and his men left the Il-li-nois, they went on down the
river. The friendly Il-li-nois had told them that the Indians they
would see were bad, and that they would kill any one who came into
their country.
The Frenchmen had heard before this that there were demons and monsters
in the river. One day they saw some high rocks with pictures painted on
them. The ugly pictures made them think of these monsters. They were
painted in red, black, and green colors. They were pictures of two
Indian demons or gods.
Each one of these monsters was about the size of a calf. They had horns
as long as those of a deer. Their eyes were red. Their faces were like
a man’s, but they were ugly and frightful. They had beards like a
tiger’s. Their bodies were covered with scales like those on a fish.
Their long tails were wound round their bodies, and over their heads,
and down between their legs. The end of each tail was like that of a
fish.
The Indians prayed to these ugly gods when they passed in their canoes.
Even Mar-quette and his men were a little frightened when they saw such
pictures in a place so lonely. The Frenchmen went down the river about
twelve hundred miles. Some-times the Indians tried to kill them, but by
showing the peace pipe they made friends. At last they turned back.
Jo-li-et went to Can-a-da. Mar-quette preached to the Indians in the
West till he died.