This stroke at Cataraqui inflamed the governor’s interest in western affairs.  During his conferences with the Indians he had heard much about the great waters to the West and the rich beaver lands which lay beyond.  He was ready, therefore, to encourage in every way the plans of those who wished to undertake journeys of exploration and trade into these regions, even although he was well aware that such enterprises would win little commendation from his superiors at the royal court.  Voyageurs ready to undertake these tasks there were in plenty, and all of them found in the Iron Governor a stalwart friend.  Foremost among these pioneers of the Far Country was Robert Cavelier de La Salle, whom Frontenac had placed for a time in command of the fort at Cataraqui and who, in 1678, was commissioned by the governor to forge another link in the chain by the erection of a fort at Niagara.  There he also built a small vessel, the first to ply the waters of the upper lakes, and in this La Salle and his lieutenants made their way to Michilimackinac.  How he later journeyed to the Mississippi and down that stream to its mouth is a story to be told later on in these pages.  It was and will remain a classic in the annals of exploration.  And without Frontenac’s vigorous support it could never have been accomplished.  La Salle, when he performed his great feat of daring and endurance, was still a young man under forty, but his courage, firmness, and determination were not surpassed by any of his race.  He had qualities that justified the confidence which the governor reposed in him.

But while La Salle was the most conspicuous among the pathfinders of this era, he was not the only one.  Tonty, Du Lhut, La Foret, La Mothe-Cadillac, and others were all in Frontenac’s favor, and all had his vigorous support in their work.  Intrepid woodsmen, they covered every portion of the western wilderness, building forts and posts of trade, winning the friendship of the Indians, planting the arms of France in new soil and carrying the Vexilla Regis into parts unknown before.  If Frontenac could have had his way, if the King had provided him with the funds, he would have run an iron chain of fortified posts all along the great water routes from Cataraqui to the Mississippi—­and he had lieutenants who were able to carry out such an undertaking.  But there were great obstacles in the way,—­the lukewarmmess of the home government, the bitter opposition of the Jesuits, and the intrigues of his colleagues.  Yet the governor was able to make a brave start, and before he had finished he had firmly laid the foundations of French trading supremacy in these western regions.