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am　which　　connects　them　can　be　ascended　from　Champlain　about　two　miles　to　the　Iron　Works；　the　　remainder　of　the　river　being　filled　with　rapids。　A　railroad　now　（1867）　connects　lakes　George　and　Champlain；　over　which　an　easy　portage　can　be　made。　The　ruined　walls　of　Fort　　Ticonderoga　are　near　the　railroad　landing。　　A　little　south　of　this　the　lake　grows　so　narrow　as　to　　resemble　a　river。　　At　its　southern　end；　　twenty…four　miles　from　Ticonderoga；　is　situated　the　town　of　Whitehall；　where　the　Champlain　and　Hudson　River　Canal　forms　a　junction　with　Lake　Champlain。　　This　long　river…like　termination　of　Champlain　gave　to　the　Indians　the　fancy　of　　calling　it　Tisinondrosa　　〃the　tail　of　the　lake；〃　which　in　mouths　inexperienced　with　the　savage　tongue　became　corrupted　into　Ticonderoga。

Wednesday　broke　upon　us　a　glorious　day。　Proceeding　three　miles　to　Patterson's　Landing；　into　the　〃tail　of　the　lake；〃　I　left　the　Mayeta　to　explore　on　foot　the　shores　of　Lake　George；　promising　Bodfish　to　join　him　at　Whitehall　when　my　work　should　be　finished。




CHAPTER　IV。　　FROM　LAKES　GEORGE　AND　CHAMPLAIN　TO　THE　HUDSON　RIVER。



THE　DISCOVERY　OF　LAKE　GEORGE　BY　FATHER　JOGUES。　　A　　PEDESTRIAN　JOURNEY。　　THE　HERMIT　OF　THE　NARROWS。　　CONVENT　OF　ST。　MARY'S　OF　THE　LAKE。　　THE　PAULIST　FATHERS。　　CANAL…ROUTE　FROM　LAKE　CHAMPLAIN　TO　　ALBANY。　　BODFISH　RETURNS　TO　NEW　JERSEY。　　THE　LITTLE　FLEET　IN　ITS　HAVEN　OF　REST。


In　the　last　chapter　I　gave；　from　seemingly　good　authority；　the　appellation　of　the　narrow　terminal　water　of　the　southern　end　of　Lake　Champlain；　〃the　tail　of　the　lake。〃　Another　authority；　in　describing　Lake　George；　says：　〃The　Indians　named　the　lake；　on　account　of　the　purity　of　its　waters；　Horicon；　or　'silvery　water；'　they　also　called　it　Canderi…oit；　or　'the　tail　of　the　lake；'　on　account　of　its　connecting　with　Lake　Champlain。〃　　Cooper；　in　his　〃Last　of　the　　Mohicans；〃　　says：　〃It　occurred　to　me　that　the　French　name　of　the　lake　was　too　complicated；　the　American　too　commonplace；　and　the　Indian　too　unpronounceable　for　either　to　be　used　　familiarly　in　a　work　of　fiction。〃　So　he　called　it　Horicon。

History　furnishes　us　with　the　following　facts　in　regard　to　the　discovery　of　the　lake。　While　journeying　up　the　St。　Lawrence　in　a　fleet　of　twelve　canoes；　on　a　mission　to　the　friendly　　Huron　aborigines；　Father　Isaac　Jogues　and　his　two　friends；　donnes　of　the　mission；　Rene　Goupil　and　Guillaume　Couture；　with　another　Frenchman；　were　captured　at　the　western　end　of　Lake　of　St。　Peter　by　a　band　of　Iroquois；　which　was　on　a　marauding　expedition　from　the　Mohawk　River　country；　near　what　is　now　the　city　of　Troy。　In　the　panic　caused　by　the　sudden　onslaught　of　the　Iroquois；　the　unconverted　portion　of　the　thirty…six　Huron　allies　of　the　Frenchmen　fled　into　the　woods；　while　the　christianized　portion　defended　the　white　men　for　a　while。　A　reinforcement　of　the　enemy　soon　scattered　these　also；　but　not　until　the　Frenchmen　and　a　few　of　the　Hurons　were　made　captive。　　This　was　on　the　2d　of　August；　1642。

According　to　Francis　Parkman；　the　author　of　〃The　Jesuits　in　North　America；〃　the　savages　tortured　Jogues　and　his　white　companions；　　striping　off　their　clothing；　tearing　out　their　　fingernails　with　their　teeth；　and　gnawing　their　fingers　with　the　fury　of　beasts。　The　seventy　Iroquois　returned　southward；　following　the　River　　Richelieu；　Lake　Champlain；　and　Lake　George；　en　route　for　the　Mohawk　towns。　　Meeting　a　war　party　of　two　hundred　of　their　own　nation　on　one　of　the　islands　of　Champlain；　the　Indians　formed　two　parallel　lines　between　which　the　captives　were　forced　to　run　for　their　lives；　while　the　savages　struck　at　them　with　thorny　sticks　and　clubs。　　Father　Jogues　fell　exhausted　to　the　ground；　bathed　in　his　own　blood；　when　fire　was　applied　to　his　body。　　At　night　the　young　　warriors　tormented　the　poor　captives　by　opening　their　wounds　and　tearing　out　their　hair　and　beards。　　The　day　following　this　night　of　torture　the　Indians　and　their　mangled　captives　reached　the　promontory　of　Ticonderoga；　along　the　base　of　which　flowed　the　limpid　waters；　the　outlet　of　Lake　George。　　Here　the　party　made　a　portage　through　the　primeval　forests；　carrying　their　　canoes　and　cargoes　on　their　backs；　when　suddenly　there　broke　upon　their　view　the　dark　blue　waters　of　a　beautiful　lake；　which　Mr。　Parkman　thus　　eloquently　describes：

〃Like　a　fair　naiad　of　the　wilderness　it　　slumbered　between　the　guardian　mountains　that　breathe　from　crag　and　forest　the　stern　poetry　of　war。　　But　all　then　was　solitude；　and　the　clang　of　trumpets；　the　roar　of　cannon；　and　the　deadly　crack　of　the　rifle　had　never　as　yet　awakened　their　angry　echoes。　　Again　the　canoes　were　launched　and　the　wild　flotilla　glided　on　its　way；　now　in　the　shadow　of　the　heights；　now　on　the　broad　expanse；　now　among　the　devious　　channels　of　the　Narrows；　beset　with　woody　islets　where　the　hot　air　was　redolent　of　the　pine；　the　spruce；　and　the　cedar；　till　they　neared　that　tragic　shore　where；　in　the　following　century；　New　England　rustics　battled　the　soldiers　of　Dieskau；　where　Montcalm　planted　his　batteries；　where　the　red　cross　waved　so　long　amid　the　smoke；　and　where；　at　length；　the　summer　night　was　hideous　with　carnage；　and　an　honored　name　was　stained　with　a　memory　of　blood。　　The　Indians　landed　at　or　near　the　future　site　of　Fort　William　Henry；　left　their　canoes；　and　with　their　prisoners　began　their　march　for　the　nearest　　Mohawk　town。〃

Father　Jogues　lived　among　his　captors　until　the　fall　of　1643；　when　he　escaped　in　a　vessel　from　the　Dutch　settlement　of　Rensselaerswyck　（Albany）；　to　which　place　the　Iroquois　had　gone　to　trade　with　the　inhabitants。　　He　arrived　at　the　Jesuit　college　of　Rennes；　France；　in　a　most　　destitute　condition；　on　the　5th　of　January；　1644；　where　he　was　joyfully　received　and　kindly　cared　for。　　When　he　appeared　before　Queen　Anne　of　Austria；　the　woman　who　wore　a　diadem　thought　it　a　privilege　to　kiss　his　mutilated　hands。　　In　the　Roman　Catholic　church　a　deformed　or　mutilated　priest　cannot　say　mass；　he　must　be　a　perfect　man　in　body　and　mind　before　the　Lord。　　Father　Jogues　wished　to　return　to　his　old　missionary　field；　so；　to　restore　to　him　his　lost　right　of　saying　mass；　the　Pope　granted　his　prayer　by　a　special　dispensation。　　In　the　spring　of　1643　he　returned　to　the　St。　Lawrence　country　to　found　a　new　　mission；　to　be　called　the　Mission　of　Martyrs。　　His　Superior　at　Montreal　ordered　him　to　proceed　to　the　country　of　the　Mohawks；　and　in　company　with　Sieur　Bourdon；　a　government　engineer；　and　six　Indians；　he　followed　the　Richelieu　and　　Champlain；　which　the　savages　called　〃the　doorway　of　the　country；〃　until　the　little　party　stood　on　the　northern　end　of　Lake　George；　on　the　　evening　of　Corpus　Christi；　and　with　the　catholic　spirit　of　the　Jesuit　missionary　he　christened　it　Lac　St。　Sacrement；　and　this　name　it　bore　for　a　whole　century。　　On　the　18th　of　October；　1646；　the　tomahawk　of　the　savage　ended　the　life　of　Father　Jogues；　who；　after　suffering　many　　tortures　and　indignities　from　his　Iroquois　captors；　died　in　their　midst　while　working　for　their　　salvation　in　his　field　of　Christian　labor。

The　right　of　a　discoverer　to　name　new　lakes　and　rivers　is　old　and　unquestioned。　　A　　missionary　of　the　cross　penetrated　an　unexplored　　wilderness　and　found　this　noblest　gem　of　the　lower　Adirondacks；　unknown　to　civilized　man。　　　Impressed　with　this　sublime　work　of　his　Creator；　the　martyred　priest　christened　it　St。　Sacrement。　One　hundred　years　later　came　troops　of　soldiers　with　mouths　filled　with　strange　oaths；　cursing　their　enemies。　　What　respect　had　they　for　the　rights　of　discoverers　or　martyred　missionaries？　So　General　Johnson；　〃an　ambitious　Irishman；〃　discarded　the　Christian　name　of　the　lake　and　replaced　it　with　the　English　one　of　George。　He　did　not　name　it　after　St。　George；　the　patron　saint　of　England；　of　whom　history　asserts　that　he　〃was　identical　with　a　native　of　either　　Cappadocia　or　Cilicia；　who　raised　himself　by　flattery　of　the　great　from　the　meanest　circumstances　to　be　purveyor　of　bacon　for　the　army；　and　who　was　put　to　death　with　two　of　his　ministers　by　a　mob；　for　peculations；　A。　D。　361；〃　but　he　took　that　of　a　sensual　king；　George　of　England；　in　order　to　advance　his　own　interests　with　that　monarch。

For　more　than　a　century　Lake　George　was　the　highway　between　Canada　and　the　Hudson　River。　Its　pure　waters　were　so　much　esteemed　as　to　be　taken　regularly　to　Canada　to　be　consecrated　and　used　in　the　Roman　Catholic　churches　in　　baptismal　and　other　sacred　rites。　　The　lake　was　　frequently　occupied　by　armies；　and　the　forts　George　and　William　Henry；　at　the　southern　end；　possess　most　interesting　historical　associations。　　The　novelist　Cooper　made　Lake　George　a　region　of　romance。　　To　the　young　generation　of　　Americans　who　yearly　visit　its　shores　it　is　an　El　Dorado；　and　the　very　air　breathes　love　as　they　glide　in　their　light　boats　over　its　pellucid　waters；　adding　to　the　picturesqueness　of　the　scene；　and　supplying　that　need　ever　felt；　no　matter　what　the　natural　beauty；　　the　presence　of　man。　　I　believe　even　the　Garden　of　Eden　itself　could　not　have　been　perfect　till　among　its　shady　groves　fell　the　shadows　of　our　first　parents。　The　cool　retreats；　the　jutting　promontories；　the　moss…covered　rocks　against　which　the　waves　softly　break；　　if　these　had　tongues；　they　would；　like　Tennyson's　Brook；　〃go　on　forever；〃　for　surely　they　would