There were no traces of the Frenchmen, however, amongst the skulls and skeletons lying around him; for the skulls retained sufficient hair to show that they belonged to Amerindians.

Nevertheless, he deposited his new stock of goods and most of his men in the ruins of the Fort Crevecoeur, and descended the River Illinois to the Mississippi.

But he was obliged to turn back.

On the west bank of the river were the scared Illinois Indians, on the east the raging Iroquois.

Whenever La Salle could safely visit a deserted camp he would examine the remains of the tortured men tied to stakes to see if amongst them there was a Frenchman.
[Footnote 11: He had named this place "Heartbreak" because when building it he had learnt of the loss of his sailing ship _Griffon_, with the splendid supply of furs which was to have paid off his debts, with all his reserve supplies and his men.