Page 239 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

EARLY HISTORY OF WISCONSIN. 235
an earlier period, must have been erroneous; or as CARVER
is not definite, but says about a century ago, might have
been one hundred and thirty years, which would take it back
to 1636, three years before NICOLET'S first visit to that Bay.
And allowing it to be so, as the shortest way to recon-
cile the discrepancy in dates; yet his reasons for thinking
that they came from Spaniah America, are too strong to be
set aside without positive proof to the contrary:
They are: E'z'rst, their unalienable attachment to the Sioux,
notwithstanding their great distance apart, which could
have grown out of nothing else than some such favor as re-
ported above to have been conferred.
h'econd: that their dialect is totally different from every
Indian nation yet discovered, it being very uncouth, guttur-
al jargon, which none of their neighbors will attempt to learn.
They conversed with other nations in the Chippewa tongue,
which is the prevailing language throughout all the tribes
from the Mohawks of Canada to those who inhabit the borders
of the Mississippi, and from the Hurons and Illinois, to such
as dwell at Green Bay.
Thirdly: Prom their inveterate hatred to thc Spaniards.
"Some of thein informed mc," says CARVER, "that they
made excursions to the south west which took up scveral moons.
An elderly chief more particularly acquainted me that about
forty-six winters ago, he marched at the head of fifty war-
riors to~varcls the south-west for three moons. That during
this expedition, whilst they were crossing a plain they dis-
covered a body of men on horse-back who belonged to the
black people: for so they called the Spaniards." Th"ese
Winnebagoes attacked and killed the most of the Spaniards,
and took from them eighty horses loaded with silver. This
was supposed to have been a caravan conveying silvcr from
the Colorado to Mexico.
The silver they threw away, calling it white stones, and
rode the horses home. This tradition of theirs, as to thoir