e he commenced the construction of a
small fort at the mouth of the Niagara River, which would guard the
approaches to his work farther in the interior and would also
serve as one of the chain of posts by which he hoped to secure to
France the territory which he meant to acquire.

This little fort on Niagara Point at the mouth of the Niagara River
was kept up by La Salle during the remainder of his career in the
New World, and was continued by the Marquis de Nonville, Governor
of New France, who, in 1687, raised it to the dignity of a “fort
with four bastions.” At this time it was in the command of Troyes
with 100 men. Soon after this the little place was besieged by
Senecas, and while the four bastions and the other defences beat
off the savage foe, the garrison perished almost to a man from
the ravages of disease. Shortly after the point was abandoned
and allowed to fall into decay. During the succeeding years of
misfortune to the French the fort was filled only with weeds and
vines and savage visitors,--early prototypes of present-day tourist
throngs,--and it was not until 1725 that the place was reoccupied
and rehabilitated.

From this time for many years Fort Niagara was a little city in
itself and for a long time the greatest point south of Montreal or
west of Albany. The fort, proper, covered about eight acres and
had its ravines, ditches and pickets, curtains, counterscarps and
covered way; stone-towers, laboratory and magazine; mess-house,
barracks, bakery and blacksmith shop. For worship there was a
chapel with a large dial over the door to mark the course of the
sun. “The dungeon of the mess-house, called the black hole, was a
strong, dark, and dismal place; and in one corner of the room was
fixed the apparatus for strangling such unhappy wretches as fell
under the displeasure of the despotic rulers of those days. The
walls of this dungeon, from top to bottom, had engraved upon them
French names and mementos in that language. That the prisoners
were no common persons was clear, as the letters and