unknown to us in Europe.  We saw neither game nor fish, but roebuck and buffaloes in great numbers.  After having navigated thirty leagues we discovered some iron mines, and one of our company who had seen such mines before, said these were very rich in ore.  They are covered with about three feet of soil, and situate near a chain of rocks, whose base is covered with fine timber.  After having rowed ten leagues farther, making forty leagues from the place where we had embarked, we came into the Mississippi on the 17th of June [1673].[4]

The mouth of the Mesconsin [Wisconsin] is in about 42-1/2 N. lat.  Behold us, then, upon this celebrated river, whose singularities I have attentively studied.  The Mississippi takes its rise in several lakes in the North.  Its channel is very narrow at the mouth of the Mesconsin, and runs south until it is affected by very high hills.  Its current is slow, because of its depth.  In sounding we found nineteen fathoms of water.  A little further on it widens nearly three-quarters of a league, and the width continues to be more equal.  We slowly followed its course to the south and southeast to the 42 deg.  N. lat.  Here we perceived the country change its appearance.  There were scarcely any more woods or mountains.  The islands are covered with fine trees, but we could could not see any more roebucks, buffaloes, bustards, and swans.  We met from time to time monstrous fish, which struck so violently against our canoes, that at first we took them to be large trees, which threatened to upset us.  We saw also a hideous monster; his head was like that of a tiger, his nose was sharp, and somewhat resembled a wildcat; his beard was long; his ears stood upright; the color of his head was gray; and his neck black.  He looked upon us for some time, but as we came near him our oars frightened him away.  When we threw our nets into the water we caught an abundance of sturgeons, and another kind of fish like our trout, except that the eyes and nose are much smaller, and they have near the nose a bone like a woman’s busk, three inches broad and a foot and a half long, the end of which is flat and broad, and when it leaps out of the water the weight of it throws it on its back.

Having descended the river as far as 41 deg. 28’, we found that turkeys took the place of game, and the Pisikious that of other animals.  We called the Pisikious wild buffaloes, because they very much resemble our domestic oxen; they are not so long, but twice as large.  We shot one of them, and it was as much as thirteen men could do to drag him from the place where he fell....

We continued to descend the river, not knowing where we were going, and having made an hundred leagues without seeing anything but wild beasts and birds, and being on our guard we landed at night to make our fire and prepare our repast, and then left the shore to anchor in the river, while one of us watched by turns to prevent a surprize.  We went south and southwest until we found ourselves in about the latitude of 40 deg. and some minutes, having rowed more than sixty leagues since we entered the river.