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TRAVELS

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T Pi R O U G H

LOUISIANA.

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T R A V EL S

THROUGH THAT PART OF

NORTH AMERICA

. ' FORMERLY CALLED

LOUISIANA.

•By Mr. B O S S U, Captain li* rm
^ Freuch Marines.

j| Translated from the FRENCH

Bv JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, F.'a.S.

Ul-U8TRATfin WITH NOTES RELATIVE CHIEFLT T.

• ^ • NATURAL HISTORY.

TO WHICH IS ADDED BT THE TRAN'SLATOk

A SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE of all th.
KKOWN Plants of English North- America.

O R, a

riOKA AMERICA SEPTENTRIONALIS.

TOG BTHERWITH

An ABSTRACT OF the most useful anp

necessary articles contained in

i*ETER LOEFLING's TRAVELS

THROUGH Spain and Cvmana in South America.

Rrfcrre;^ to the Pages of the original Swcdim Edition.

Ornau ^s i pfa negat, contcnta doceri. fforat.

LONDON:

Winced for T. DAVIES in Ruffel-Strcct. Covent-GonJcn.

M Dec LXXI.

'4P '■■

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a. .

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:: ;i V s-. q t

A-% X

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T O

WILLIAM COl^at ABLE, E%

S I

fj 3'Js

'T^HE zeal with which you promote tH«''
^ -*• great caufe of learning, and ci^eci-^'
dlythat of Natural Hiftory, the Polite
Arts and Antiquities, intitle you to the
regard and homage of every one who is
converfant with Arts and Sciences : but
the favour you.we.'-e fo kind to beftow up-
on me, before you proceeded on the. tour
through the different parts of Europe, ca*
courages nie to take this early opportunity
to congratulate you on your return to your
philofophic retirement, and publicly to ac-
knowledge the gratitude and 'attachment
which will ever prompt me to think my-
lelf happy in my weak endeavours to ap-
prove my condua and fentiments to my
friends and bcnefadors.

May f ^^

'<5;iif^*^"

DEDICATION.

May you always enjoy pcrfcdl health,
and all the rational and moral bleilings of
this life; and, ifter a long feri^s of years,
diftinguiflitd by anions of benevolence,
friendihip, and virtue, exchange thefe
tranfitory enjoyments for everlafting feli-
city. Thefe are the fincere and invariable
wiflies of him who fubfcribcs himfclf,
with the trueft: regard^^ ;

SIR,

London, oa. 5.

Your moll obligee?
obedient humble fervant,
JOHN HEiNHOLD FORSTER.

/ <

-0

P R E F A C

HE prcfent publi

ication appears with a view
to fupply the English reader with a good
account of a country, which now enjoys the hap-
pinefs to be under the mild influence and fway of
the Britilh Preptre ; and. if properly adminifteredt
and piopled, might in time become one of cho
great fupports of that power, which makes Great
Bntam refpcded over all the globe. Ihe coun-
try here defcribed is fufceptible of great i improv.-,
ments, capable to fupply the mother-country with
.immenfe (lores of raw materials for her manufac
tures, and to take in return the produfts of our
mduftry ; a commerce which, conneded with re-
ligious and civil liberty, is the only bafis on which
the grandeur of this nation can be laftingly found-
ed with .iny degree of probabili;

The Catalogue of North Am? • .-, jj ^

mere attempt, to make the cur. atteiu

tive to the American fpontaneous p, . ,-, and
vvhiclx will give a higher degree of certainty of fuc-
ceis to the plantations of fuch plants as w^re re-
coipmended to the public, by the ingenio^is and
grc^^t promoter of Natural Hiftory and Plantation*
JohnmtU Efqj in 2i Catalogue of fuch foreign planu
^'s are worthy of being mouraged in our Amrican

ccfomes frr the pirpofes of mtdtcine, ^^riatliure, wtd

cmmcrcc. .^^^^'.^^^;^' ■ ' ..

■;.4-

The

viii preface/

The Englifh names affiycd ^to the greater part
of the plants, will make it mare .2.iy to the gL^
men people to know and to ufe them, bring the
Science more down cveh to the loweft capacities.
fix the hitherto vague and multi-aiious denomina-
tions of plants in various parts of America, and
obviate that confufien and drynefs already too com-
inon m the ftudy of that ufeful branch of know-
ledge.

Loefinfs defcriptions of the SpaniiTi and South
Anicncan plants are the only things in his journal ^
v^hK:h deferve the attention of a curious reader , tlie
karers pubiuTied ale ^g with them in the Swcdifh,
^re compliments of a grateful pupil to his tutor
?iDd.queries and^«^/^ relative to botany, and ihece-
fore not worth a tranflation. The Englilh pubKc
has now all the voyages and publication^ of the
Linn^an Ichool , HaJfel^uiA OJbecK Moreen, Kahn
?nd Uefltng make the whole of them.

The French word outarde fignifies commonly a
hujiard, but in North America they give diat name
to a kind of gcefe, which I therefore beg to cor-
rea, voi. i. p. 96. . having but lately got an in«
formation about it, from a gentiemaa who is juil
returned from North America.

TXx^ Sardines mentioned vol i. p. 2. arc not, as
I have fufpeaed in the note, tht pilchards, fo com.
mon on our weftern coafts ; but a kind of hemncr
3iot vet defcribed, peculiar to the neighbourhoc^*
of Belle-JJle, ani the coi..c of French Bretany.

« \

)j$

^ « S A ^S^ m»M S I I
. T R A V E L s

THROUGH

LOU 1 SI A N A.

L E t t E R I.

To the MARqiJis de PEstrade.

r^^ Jut^r's Depafture for America -, Befiription
of the Town ./Cape Francois ; Cruelties of tht
Spaniards towards the Natinjes of the Ifle of St
Domingo ; v^orking of -the Mines s true Origin of
the Mai de Naples,

JI^'^JHEN 1 had the honour of tak-
J. W f '"S rtiy leave of you, I was or-

f ^ ^3 '^'^'^'^ '^ communicate to you
=^*"^-*^ every particular tliat fhould ap.
pear remarkable to m.^ in this new world •
you farther defired of me an account of all
interefting fubjefts which might happen on
V ^ the

t TRAVELS THROUGH
the paflage. I am glad that my ftay at
Cape Francois affords me an opportunity of
tuJfiUing an engagement which is dear to
me, becawfe its execution may prove agree-
able to you.

I was at Belle-Ifle in 1750, M. Le Cheva^
her de Grojfoles commanded at that place ; he
gave me a letter from the Count d'Argertfon,
from which I learnt, that his Majefty had made
me Lieutenant in the Marines; this Minifter
gave me orders to fet out immediately for
Rochefort', accordingly I went on board the
iirft filhing fmack deftined to carry the An-
chovies * (Sardines) to Rochelle, which are
caught on the Coaft of Bretany, and which
are the chief fupport of the inhabitants of
Belk-JJle.

* The true Anchovies are caught in the Mediterranean ;
and thofe few that now and thti appear in the feas
near n„gland or France, are rather rare examples ; they
arc certainly not fo numerous that a profitable fiihcry of
them could be inftituted. The Sardine of our Author,
therefore, feems to be the Pikhard, a filh that is very
copioufly caught on the coafls of Com^wall and French
Bretany. Linn^us has no pcculia.- fpecific name for thi.
iSflj, though the great EngliJJ, natural hilbrian, Ray, in
h«8 Syn. pifc. 104, had pointed out the characncrs of
this fpecics ; which now is done more fully by Mr. Psu-
nent, in liis Britiih Zoology, H^. p. ^y,. p.

L 6 u i s i

A *i a:

In November we weighed anchor before the
Palace\ („hich is the name of the town on this
«nand) i and the very firft „ight of our yoyage
we had fucn i violent ftorm on the coaftof i'5.
r^, that bur little veffcl being beat about and
A>rrounded by the waves, we expeded every
moment to go to the bottom : The crewconfift-
ed of a pilot, and three failors from Lower Bre-
tahy, who ai-e commonly called S,a^ohes4..
and ari fo well accullomed to this element, that
they brave the hardeft weather. The wind hav-
ing mcreafed our cdptain was obliged to put in
at the /> ,e DUu, fuuated between pJu and
the county J-Junis. We ftaid there eight days ,
at the exp,rat,on of which, thefea being calmed,
we let fail again, and continued our voyage to

the ine of ;?«, f,om whence I crolTed a cL!
nel of the fea about three leagues broad, that
ftparate, the ille from the continent, and ar-
med atM,, .^^ .^e day after 1 came to
Roci^/orf 1 was direfted to addref, myfelf to
the mtcndant of the department of the marine
yi^o>.MUN.r..„r^My!, a man of ell
mem, and deferving of the place he .ccupie,

by h,s talent, and the goodnefs of his heart fhe
told me that, as foon as I (hould have equipped
myfelf for my voyage, I was to go to 1^/1.

B» and

f Lot/ ft dt mtr*

4 TRAVELS through

and embark in the Ihip called the Pontchartrain,
of 400 tuns. M le Ncrmafti h^d freighted this
fhip for the King's account, in order to tranf-
port four companies of the marines, whom we
took in at the citadel on the iHe of Rhe: they
were deftined to reinforce the garrifon of New
Orleans.

We fet fail from Rochelle the 26th of Decem-
ber, and had contrary winds for above a fort-
night on the coaft of Spain. V/e were already
willing to put in at Corunna, in order to be fliel-
tered from the violence of the winds j when
happily the wind fhifted ; and, towards the end
of January, we v^ere in fight of Madeira, an
inc belonging to Portugal * ; it is called the
queen of iflands, on account of its fertility and
the excellence of its foil; it has near twenty
leagues in circumference, produces good wines,
and very fine fruits.

On the 15th of February wepafTed the tropic
of Cancer. The next day the failors fpent in

fome

• It is an African i/land in the Atlantic ocean, and fitu-
atcd to the north of the Canary i/lands ; which latter were
difcovered in 1417, by a Norman gentleman called Jean
Bfthncourt, who bore the title of King of the Canaries,
and made the conqueft of tlicm to the Spaniards, whopoflefi
them now.

LOUISIANA. 5

ibme ridiculous ceremonies, which they oblige
thofe to undergo who never pafTed the line be-
fore : they are baptifed with fea-water ; but may
avoid this too abundant afperfion by making a
fmall prefent to the boatfwain.

Two months after leaving i?^^/^^//^ we arrived
^ at Cape Franfois, in the ifle of St. Domingo ;
which is that part of Jmsrica where the Spaniards
have firft built towns and forts.

The town lies at the bottom of a promontory :
it is defended by a fort cut in the rock, at the
entrance of the port. This fortrefs, which has
a good ftore of artillery, projeds into the fea;
and by that means forms a cape, from whence
the town takes, its name. Its inhabitants are
European merchants, Creoles, and negroes ; the
lafl being employed to cultivate fugar-canes,
coffee, indigo, cacao, cotton, cafTia, tobacco,
and various other produds.

The French and Spaniards have divided the
ifland between them •, the latter poiTefs the weft-
Ci . part of it *. San Domingo is the capital of

B 3 the

Since that time the SnaniardQ »,3v» «:.«« »u-:- a e

this liland to the French. F.

^ TRAVELS THROUGH

the ifland j it is the feat of a bifhpp^ whom thjS
King of Spain appoints.

This ifland is celebrated by the origin of the
mat de Naples, or venereal difeafe. Authors dif-
agree fo much on this fubjeft, and have told
tjae ftory in fo many different ways, that I think
I Ihall not do amifs to reprefent it in its true

Nicolas de Obando was governor of this ifle, to-
wards the end of the fifteenth century, during
the reign of King Ferdinand o^ ^rr agon and Ij'a-.
hella of Cajiik : he had ftridt orders to work at
the converfion of the fubdued Indians ; he diftri-
buted them among the Spaniards, giving a hun-
dred of them to one man, fifty to another j and
calling this proceeding a repartimiento, (a divi-
fion). I believe you will agree with me. Sir,
that this is ^ very fingular method of making
converts in America; fuch maxims are quite
contrary to the true fpirit of the Chriftian reli-
gion *.

• • • *

Thefe

T " The King Don Ferdinand, being informed of thcfc
*' diforders, had turned all his attention towards remedying
*♦ them; and his care chiefly regarded the Indians, whom
*' he wifiicd to protcft and convert, as it has always been the
'.' maxim of the Catholic kings. He gave feveral orders.

ana

L O U I

I A N A.

Thefe Spaniards, greedy of gold, forced the
wretched Indians to work in the mines, and kept
them alm'oft buried in the earth for eight or nine
months together. This hard labour, the ful-
phureous vapours which continually rofe from
the mines, and the famine to which they were
reduced by the impoffibility of cultivating their
ground:, fo corrupted the mafs of their Wood,
that their faces became tinged with a faftron co-
lour i a kind of puftules came out on every part
of their body, and caufed them infupportable
pams. They foon communicated this ficknefs
to their wives, and fo of courfe to their ene-
mies ,• and they all perifhed for want of a re-
medy.

The afflicfled Spaniards hoped, that this kind
of pefl would not follow them to Europe, whi-
ther they went for the change of air ; but they
were deceived ; and, on their return, they gave
the Europeans the diltemper they got from the
^imerkans,

B 4 How-

and pubhfl>ed laws, that they fhould be inftruaed with

mildneft, difrntcrclkdnefs. and by ex-ompio : but as an

«• arrow falls without force at the bottom of the aim. when

It IS beyond the reach of the arm that fhot it; fo. all the

I "'"^"f ;'!''''' ^*' "'"^^^ "^* °^ '° "^^ke his defigns fuc
^ceed. loft their force as they got to a greater diftance."

O TRAVELS THROUGIf-

However, Providence pitied thefe wretched
iflanders : an Indian woman, the wife of a Spar
niard, difcovered, feme time after, that a kind
of wood called guayacan, was a fufficient cure
for their diftemper *.

It is but too true, Sir, that evil produces evil.
The Spaniards have facrificed millions of men in
the new world; they have laid wafte countries
of vaft extent, in ordet tp uf|jrp the gold of thq
Indians.

^ Gold and filver give as much trouble and fa-
tigue to thofe whp work them out of the mines,
as they afford contentment and eafe to their pof-
feflbrs. A Spanifh engineer told me, that twen-
ty-nine years were fpent in fearching, in the
mountains ai Pot oft, for the famous vein of Cr«-
fero, which is two hundred and fifty yards deep.
Such is the hard and fupernatural labour which
power and defire of riches exads^ and which i§

executed

* Notwithftanding what our author fays concerning th«j
origin of this difeafe, it is well known, that the inhabitants
of South and North America had the difeafe when the Eu-
ropeans came to them ; but they well knew how to cure it,
though they carefully kept this knowledge from their Euro-
pean enemies ; and it has but lately been difcovered, that
m the fouth the Guayacuttty and in the north the Stillhigia

fylvatica, together with other plants, are the Indian fpe-

p<. ......

LOUISIANA. 9

executed by ncceffity and fervitudc, in order to
cxtraft gold from the bowels of the earth. The
wretched workmen who are employed there, en-
joy neither the air of our atmofphere, nor the
light of the fun, and bury themfelves in infcc*
tious and cold abyfles ; of which the exhalations
are fo unwholefome, that they caufe fwoons and
giddinefs to the workmen as foon as they offer
to go in. They make ufe of candles to light
them in thefe dark fubterraneous places : the
metal is generally hard in them ; they, break it
in pieces with hammers, load it on their fhould-
crs, and mount upwards on ladders made of
twifted hides of oxen, with wooden fteps, contri-
ved in fuch a manners that whilft one goes up
on one fide, another may defcend on the other :
.thefe ladders arc divided into ten fets. A man
generally carries two arobas of metal on his
back *, wrapped up in a piece of cloth : he that
goes firft has a candle fattened to his thumb ;
and they all hold themfelves with both hands on
the ladder, in order to be able to go upwards
for the fpace of 250 feet.

The general hiftory of AmVd; tells us, that
,the nations of Florida took the facks with filver,
and threw them far from themfelves as ufelefs.
The Mexicans, on the contrary, were fond of

- S^^'^ '

* An Aroba is 25 pounds, poids de Marc,

lO TRAVELS THROUGK

gold; though, as Jofeph d*AcoJia fays, in his
cniverfal hiftory of the Indies, " it is true that
*' their avarice was not arrived to that pitch
" where ours is -, and that, notwithftanding
their being idolaters, they never have worlhip-
ped gold and filver fo much as fome bad
** Chriftians have done, who have committed
" the moft atrocious crimes for the fake of tha^
« metal."

««

The fame author relates the following anec^
dote, which perfedtly charaderizes man*3 ftupid
defire after riches. *' A Spanifh monk, confi-
" dering the height of the famous volcano of
" Guatimala, took it into his head, that that
** which he faw inflamed muft needs be a mafs of
gold, fince it had burnt for many ages toge-
ther without being confumed. Mifled by this
falfe principle, lie invented fome kettles,
" chains, and other inftruments, with which
" he intended to draw the liquid gold from this
" kind of well : but the fire difappointed him ;
** for the chain and kettle were fcarce entered
" into this infernal orifice, but they immediate-
*' ly melted down. However," fays our author,
•' this man perfifted in inventing new methods
^* for fetching up the gold after which he thirlled
•* fo much i but one day happening to come too
«' near the mouth of the volcano, the exhalations

** from

^^^S

L O U I S I A N

'• from it killed him, when he expeaed to have
^'fucceeded in his whimfical defign. Thus
^* blind mortals haften their death by too great a
^' purfuit after the luxuries of this life."

But to return to the Indians of Saint Domingo.

The hiftory of that iHe informs us, that a G?-

fique * called Poncra, being haraffed by the Spa-

niards, refolved to flee from his vilLge, which

the enemies found abandoned, and where they

took three thoufand marks of gold, which had

been left tliere. Vafeo Nunez de Balboa, the

fucceflbr of Nicolas de Obando, fent his people

to the Cacique, with orders to aiTure him, that he

/hould not fear to return, hecaufe he Ihould be his

friend; but that if he did not come back, he

ihould go and hunt for him, and caufe him to

be devoured by his dogs f .

^^^^^^^ Poncra

" A cacique is a petty prince or king of the Indians.

+ The Spaniards had brought over with them from Europe
feme maltifFs, which they had taught to hunt the Indians ;
?s foon as they were let loofe upon thcfe wretches, they iore
out their bowels, and devoured them. One of thefe dogs
csXlcABaremel was very much dreaded alj over the ifland-
and though he was guarded by a fliield againll the arrows of
the Indians, they, it is faid, at'laftkilled him, by piercing
^ls eyes with darts, which was a kind of triumph for them.

JntOHti

r/f

12 TRAVELS THROUGH

Poncra was frightened by his threats, and did
not venture to dilbbey. He brought with him
three of his vaffals. Nunez de Balboa employed
in vain all the cunning imaginable to bring him
to difcover the place where they got the gold,
which he had heard contained great quantities of
that metal : good ufage and punifhments were
equally infufficient to bring him to confefs what
perhaps he did not know. As to the three thou-
fand marks of gold which had been found, Pon^
^r^^ faid, that thofc who had amafled them died
in the times of his fathers, and that he had not
thought it worth while to fend people to fearch
wr more, having no need of it. This unhappy
Cacique was given up to the fury of the dogs,
that devoured him with his three companionsr

Some time after, a Spaniard fell into the hand$
of the fubjefts of the unhappy Foncra ; they re-
proached him with the exceffive thirft of his
countrymen after gold, and the injuftices it led

them

Aaionio de Herrera, in his firft Decas, relates, that this
fierce creature, whofe inrina was firgular, guarded a nar-
row pafs in the ifle of St. Domingo-, and that one day an
Indian woman being defirous of pafllng by him, addreffed
him in thefe wo.is: Signer Dog, dd not hun me ; I carry this
htcr to the Lhrijiians: he adds, thit the dog immediately

ftnelled at her, pijjid at her, (thofe are his very words) a^d

^■^i^ end her is ^aj's v^ithot doing her any huim.

LOUISIANA. ,3

. them to commit ; that this avidity alone forced
them from their country, and brought them
acrofs numberlefs perils to that ifland, to difturb
Its inhabitants, who lived peaceably before in
Xheir huts, under the protcftion of the Great
Spirit *.

After this fhort harangue, they melted fome

gold, and poured it intp his mouth and ears,

faymg, Thou 4og, fince thou art fo willinz to nof^

Ms it, glut thy j elf . ^,

It muft, however, be owned, i,ir, that, if
the Mexican hiftory fhews us nothing but horror,
that of St. Domingo, on the other hand, furnifhes
us with inftances of generofiry.

^ Bon Pedro de Magaratit, formerly a comman.

dant here for the King of Spain, was offered a

couple of living turtle - doves, b> an Indian

in a great famine. The general took them,

paid the Indian handfomely for them, and bco--

ged part of the garrifon to go with him to t^

higheft part of the town; where, being arrived,'

he faid to tnem, holding the little creatures in

hjs hand, " Gemlemen, I am forry that people

" have

us the Indians call the Supreme Being.

14 TRAVELS THuotrorf

" have not brought me provifions fuffident t<y
'* treat you all ; I cannot refolve to fatisfy my ap-
•* petite, whilft you are ftarving :" and as he
had fpoke thefe words, he let the birds fly
away.

An infinite number of other inftances may be
added to this, which do no lefs honour to the
inhabitants of this iOe. There are feveral that
deferve to be recorded in hiftory ; and among
thofe that I have been told, I cannot help think-
ing the following Itory worth your notice. An
old inhabitant of St. Domingo had acquired a
confiderable fortune there by his labour, indu-
ftry, and trade. His condud and manners re-
mained unaltered by profperity ; and he only
valued his riches, becaufe they enabled him to
ferve others.

Whenever a fhip arrived from France, he ran
to the coal> to fee the pafTengers land, and gene-^^
rally condufted them to his home. One day he
faw feveral young people, who expefted to make
their foitu'te as foon as they arrived ; they had
letit Hi. of I'.com nendation, on which they de-
pended fo much, that they took little notice of
the good planter, who accofted the ; he left
them, wilhing them all kind of profp^'^rity t

fome

L O U I S I

A N A.

fome «me after he metthe„, again looking very

found tT'' ?' ''' ""P"°" "-i ^
found. Gentlemen, fays he to them, you are

not recommended to me, and you did L rely
onme. lam your fellow-creature, andyouwat

a table and a odgmg at your fervice -. and durin.

Srirf''^'"°'""''"S-yo«er,thatJ^U

en aotured T°"" ^'^ ^"""^ ''-?'«= «-
enraptured, and accepted his offers ; they fol

owed h,m to his houfe. where th y found t

able fpread for twenty perfons, and L'd by

as many Negro fervants. One of the new co

«nH 7 . ^^^^ ''''^'^ ^f a weddina,

-;inHisLur:trrtii^°i£

e"dttr"^''T''-''-'^-. Toon Hat-
red them very advantageous fituations.

You will eafily believe Sir fl,.^ r

tLtiTe^f^r.rmr'^^'^^^'''-

«.!, u , ? ^"^ ^^^"1 ^eing animate*: bv
the brutal avditv nf {X«, i 'cil..uj

^^,.• ^^la'ty ot lome planters, tha«- force

their wretched Jlaves to fnrh h a^\
^hey refufe to marry, in order to avoid genera-
-ng nave, to fuch m.fters, who treatT^

when

:.l

TRAVELS T

HROUGrt

when old and infirm, worfe than their dogs and

horfes *

As to the inhabitants of the French iHands in
the Weft Indies, I can aflure ycAi they are very
generous towards ftrangers : a perfon may even
travel in the interior parts of the country, with-
out the leaftexpence to himfelf j if his counte-
nance be free and open, and his behaviour de-
cent, ''.e is fufficiently qualified for a favourable
reception in every habitation.

It is with great juftice that we reckon the
Creoles noble in France : their fentiments are fo
noble and delicate in every ftation of life, that
they perfectly defervc that appellation.

Man is every where the fame ; he is equally
fufceptible of good and evil ; education correfts
his vices, but does not give him virtue; the

fame

* I have feen a plantc, whofc name was Chaperon, who
forced one of his negroes to go into a heated oven, wher«
the poor wretch expired ; and his jaws being flirivellcd up,
the barbarous Chaperon faid, I believe the fellow laughs,
and took a poker to ftir him up. Since that time he is
grown the fcare-crow of all the flaves ; who, when they
have done fomething amifs, are threatened by their mafter*
with, / 'will /ell thee to Chaperon*

L O tJ 1 S 1 A K A. i;

fame Being has created the civilized man and
th»-favage, and has endowed them with the
Tame qualities, as you will find in the fequel of
my correfpondence. If I cannot amufe you
with my ftile, at leaft I fhall make my narrative
interefting, through the fingularity of the fadls
I intend to relate.

I am, SI R, ^c.

Cape Franfois, the le^th
of February 1751.

OL. I.

LET.

■

tS TRAVELS

THROUGH

LETTER II,

To the fame.

The Author's Departure from Cape Franfois for
Louifiana. Short Defcription of the Harbour of
the Havannah. Of the famous Gulph of Mexi-
co ; and of New Orleans.

SIR,

P^j^^^E weighed anchor the 8th of March
^W g^ laft; and on the 15th we were in
Sst^^jS fight of Cuba, which is the mod tem-
perate of all the Antilles, The Havannah is the
ftore of all the riches of America, [on account of
its fituation, and the extent and convenience of
its harbour, which can contain upwards of a
thoufand fliips. It is the common rendez-vous
of the Spanifh fleets returning to Europe ; and
it is defended by three forts. Cuba is two hun-
dred leagues long, and between twenty-live and
thirty broad j fixteen years have been fpcnt in
difcovcries to afcertain whether it was an ifle or

contineiit »

L O U t S * A N A, 19

tontinent : it lies under the tropic of Cancer,
that is, in twenty^three degrees and a half north
latitude. Near the middle of the ifland, to the
fouthward, are a number of little ifles very
clofe to each other, which are called the Garden
of the Queen *.

During the equinox we fuffered a very vio-
lent ftorm between Cape Catoche and Cape An-^
tonioi the latter, which we doubled on the
twenty-third, is at the weftern point of the ifle
of Cuba. I was very fea-fick, having never been
at fea on fo long a voyage j but the defire of
ferving my country in a new land, fufficiently
compenfatcd all the hardfhips I underwent on
my pafTage. The winds changed, the fea be-
came fmooth, and, a few days after, we enter-
ed into the famous gulph of Mexico, where wc
met with a prodigious quantity of floating tim-
ber, coming irom Loui/iana down the river M^,
Jippi: thefe logs of wood are feen for above two
hundred leagues at fea, and fcrve as guides to
the entrance of the river in hazy and foggy wea-
ther; It being very difficult to get into it, on ac
count of the rocks and (hoals in the neighbour-
hood of its entrance.

C 1

Jafdin d« Ia Reynn,

■

TRAVELS tHitoucti

In the firft days of April we perceived the
fort Balife at the mouth of the Mtffiftppi, Mr.
k Motne d*Ibervitle, a Canada gentleman, difco-
vered, in 1698 *, this mouth of the river,
which M. de la Salle miffed in 1684. Our vef-
fel llruck upon the bar ; we fired a gun to cal!
the pilot, and at the fame time the captain dif-
cmbarked the artillery of the Ihip, and the two
hundred regular troops which v/ere on board for
the fervice of the colony of Louifiana -, which
made the veflel fo much lighter, that flie came
aRoat again<

On the 4th of April, we fet on Ihore eighteen
officers at Fort Balife f, where M. de Safitilly
commanded : this officer treated us to the beft
of his power, while we ftayed at his poft, which
is entirely furrounded with marfhes full of fer-
pents and crocodiles.

■ The Marquis de Vaudreuik governor of Loui^
/tana, being informed of our arrival, fent feveral

boats

* Mr. d'UeriJilley governor of Louijiona, conduced the
firft colony thither in 1699 = after his death the country had
no governor for a long while : the fccond was M. dela Mcttt
Cadillac ; and the tluid, M. de Bienville, youngeft brother
of the firft.

t They reckon thirty leagues from this place to AVtc Or»
ietiftSf On account of the bcndiiigs iu the river.

LOUISIANA.

boats to fetch us, and to bring us refrefhments j
we diftributed our foldiers on board them, and,
by failing and rowing, we got to New Orleans
on Eafter-day. The Marquis de Vaudreuil is to
receive twenty-four companies of marines, to
augment the forces in Louifiana\ thefe troops
come on board of merchant-lhips, freighted for
the King's account j there are likewife fome fe-
male recruits enlifted in France^ who come to
people thefe climates. Induftrious foldiers, who
chufe to marry thefe girls, get their difmilTion,
and a certain number of acres of ground to cul-
tivate : tiiey get visual.'- from the Xing for three
years together, and he makes them a prefent of
half a pound of gun-powder, and two pounds of
ftiot every month ; of a gun, a hatchet, a pick-
axe, and corn to fow their fields •, with a cow, a
calf, rocks and hens, &c.

The Marquis de Vaudreuil has diftributed the
twenty -four new companies in the different parts
of the colony, without any regard to perfons ; fo
that every one may equally fhare the advantages
and the difadvantages. As to the detachment
near the Illinois^ a pod five hundred leagues di-
ftantfrom New Orleans, it has fallen to thefliarc
of the company to which I belong. I have the
honour of being among the officers which M.
Rouillcy the ffcretary of ftate for the marine,

C 3 has

THROUGH

*2 . TRAVELS

has recommended to the Marquis de Vaudreutti
and I am made perfedly fenfible of the defe.
rence Ihewn to fuch a recommendation. I can
affure you, Sir, that the General's table is of
great ufe to me, and to all thofe that are lately
arrived, and have not had time to take any
fixed lodgings. The affluence is very great-
but the governor does the honours of his table in
fo noble and generous a manner, that he acquires
the efteem and friendfhip of all the officers, who
juftly ftile him the father of the colony. M
Michel de la Rouvtlliere, who fuperintends the
markets *, likewife contributes to render life
agreeable to us, by the juft prices he fixes up,
on the vidluals of the country, and by e-ery
thmg relative to his office.

^ We expecH: to fet out for the Illinois the 2otK
of Auguft next ; Mr. de Macarty, who is to go
^'ith us, has been appointed commandnnt of the
detachment by the court. The different nations
which I fliall be obliged to vifit during this lon«-
voyage, will furnifh me amply with material^
tor a delcription of the fine nvtr Miffiftpp, and
the people on its banks.

In the mean while, I intend to give you a de-
icnptio^ of Lmif^ana in general i but I believe

I do

L O U I S I A N

iXi

I do not need to be very prolix en this fubje(ft,
as you probably know moft of the plans and ac-
counts that have been publilhed of it. Let me
only obferve to you, that New Orleans, the
ftreets of which run all in ftreight lines, is now
much greater and more populous than former-
ly. There are inhabitants of four forts, viz.
Europeans, Americans, Africans or negroes,
and Mejiizos *. The latter are thofe born of
Europeans and the natives of this country, whom
we call favages. The Creoles are thofe that are
born here of a French man and French woman,
or of European parents.

The Creoles in~general are very brave, tall,
and well made ; they are well difpofed for culti-
vating the arts and fciences ; but as they can-
not make great progrefs therein for want of good
matters, the rich and well-meaning fathers fend
their children to France, as to the bed fchool ia
the world, for all forts of acquirements.

As to the fair fex, whcfe only art is that of
pleafing, they are already born with that advan-
tage here, and have no need to acquire it in Eu-
rope.

C 4

New

«4 TRAVELS THROUGH
J^'^^rkans and M>m are the ofllytown,
where they fpeak the French pretty pure. The
negroes are brought thither from Africa, and
are employed in cultivating the grounds, which
are excellently adapted to the culture of indigo
tobacco, rice, maize, or Indian corn, and fu-
gar-canes. of which they have already made
plantations that have fucceeded very well. Thus
the merchants, tradefmen, and ftrangers, who
iive here enjoy as it were an enchanted abode,

fcrnhty of ,ts ioil, and the beauty of its fnuation.
^^ Orleans lies on the banks of the Mijififpi,
wh,ch IS one of the greateft rivers in the world '
becaule, for 800 leagues together, it paffes
through known countries. Its pure and delicious
water* runs for the fpace of forty leagues be-
tween a number of habitations, which form an
elegant fight on both its Ihores ; where the plea-
fares of hunting and fiihing, and all other en-
joyments of life, are abundant.

The capuchins are the firfl: monks that went
over to New Orleans as miffionaries in 172,
Their fuperior was the vicar of the parifh 5 thefe

good

« R ir T"' * ^'^'- ''""S '••""■>'"•' of A= marine
at *„V„, always drank this water at his table. It hi
tie ^uahtj-„f„rtribn.i„g to the fecu„di,,„fw„„ „

LOUISIANA. 25

good friars only employ tliemfelves in affair's
relative to their ftation in life.

Two years after, the Jefuits fettled in Lom/te^
na, Thefe cunning politicians have found
means to get the richeft fettlcment in the whole
colony, which they have obtained through their
intrigues.

The Urluline nuns were fent thither almoft at
the fame time. The occupation of thefe pious
girls, whofe zeal is truly laudable, is the educa-
tion of young ladies ; they likewife receive or-
phans into their community, for which the King
pays them fifty kus a-head penfion. Thefe nuns
are likewife charged with the care of the military
hofpital.

My (lay here has as yet been fo fhort, that I
have not been able to give you any account
of the nations which inhabit the banks of the
river ; however, I will endeavour to give you
an idea of the charafter and turn of the Chitlma-
chas, who are fettled on a river or branch which
bears their name, to the weftward of New Or.
hans : J believe the anecdote will prove intereft-
ing to you, though this nation is very near ex-
tinct.

t6 TRAVELS through

In 1 720^ one of their nation, having hid himfelf
in a lonely place on the banks of ths MiJJiJippiy
Ji?d murdered the Abbe de St, Come, who was then
the miflionary of the colony. M. de Bienville, who
■was then governor, made the whole nation an-
fwerable for it ; and, to fpare his own people,
he employed feveral nations of his allies to at-
tack them.

Thefe Indians were worfted ; the lofs of their
beft warriors forced them' to afk for peace : the
governor having granted it them, on condition
that they would bring the head of the murderer,
they punftuaily executed that condition ; and
afterwards prefented the calumet or pipe of
peace * to M. de Bienville,

The following is a relation of what I have
heard concerning the ceremonies of this folemn
cmbafly.

They arrived at New Orleans, finging the fcng
of the calumet, which they difplayed to the

wind,

* The calumet is a long pipe, with a head of red, black,
or white matble, and a pipe of a reed two and a half or three
feet long. The Indians fend it by deputies to thofc nations
with whom they will renew or treat of peace. It is adorned
with the feathers of the white eagle ; it is a fymbol of peace
and plenty amongft them; and one may go everywhere
v.'ithout fear, with che calumet in hand, bccaufc nothing b
iii^ul uiorc iliCi'cu.

LOUISIANA; ^7

Wind, and in a certain cadence, to announce their
cmbafly j and they were drefled out with thcif
beft ornaments, as is always ufual amongft them
on fuch occ ^fions. The chief of the deputation
faid to the governor : How happy am I to find my^
felf in thy prefence ; thou haft long been angry witk
our nation \ we have been informed of what thy heart
has told thee, and we have heard with great joy^
that it was willing to give us fine days. They
then fat down on the ground, leaning their faces
on their hands, the fpeaker without doubt to
recover his breath, and the others to keep filent.
During this interval every body was ordered not
to talk, nor to laugh whilft the harangue lafted,
becaufe they would be affronted at it.

The fpeaker, fome moments after, arofe with
two others ; one of them filled the pipe of the
calumet with tobacco, the other brought fire;
the firft then lighted the pipe j the fpeaker fmo-
ked a while, and then prefented the pipe to IVT,
de Bienville, that he might do the fame ; accor-
dingly the governor, and all the officers that
compofed his retinue, fmoked out of this calu-
met, each according to hjs rank : as foon as
jhis ceremony was over, the old orator took
back the calumet, and put it in M. de BimvilUs
hands, in order to be preferved by him. The

ipeakcr

THROUGH

a TRAVELS

fpeakcr remained ftancjing, and the other am-
Jt>^ir^dpr« fai down near the prefent which they
had brought, and which confided of roe-buck
and doe flcins, and in fome other furs, all 4ref-
fed white, as a fign of peace.

The fpeaker or chancellor was drefTed in a
robe of feveral marten-fkins fewed together ; it
was fattened to his right fhoulder, and paflfed
undf r his left arm ; he wrapped himfelf up in
this robe, and began his fpeech with a majeftic
air, ^ddreiTing himfelf to the governor : " My
heart laughs for joy on feeing myfelf before
thee ; we have all of us heard the word of
peace which thou haft fent us : the hearts of
our whole nation laugh for joy on that occa-
fioni the women, forgetting fhat inftant all
that paired, have danced ; and the children
have leapt like young roe-bucks. Thy words
•' fhall never be forgotten, and our defcendants
' " will remember it as long as the ancient
" WORD * Ihall laft : as the war has made us poor,
" we have been obliged to make a general hunt
" or chace, in order to bring thee fome furs :
" but we were afraid of going to any great di-
** ftance, left the other nations Ihould not yet
*' have heard thy word ; nor are we come hither
" but trembling all the way, till we faw thy face.

" How

«(

«c

((

Thus htr call traditions.

LOUISIANA.

ft^

(«

«(

« How glad are my eyes and my heatt to be-
hold thet this day. Ouf prefents are ftfial!,

** but our hearts are great to obey thy word; at
thy commands thou fhait fee our legs run and
leap like thofe of the flags, to do as thou Ibait

«*pleaftr."

Here the orator paufcd a little j then raifing
his voice, he gravely continued his difcourfe.

" How beautiful is the fun to-day, in com-
" parifon with what it was when thou wert an-
•' gry with us ! How dangerous is one villain !
*" Thou knoweft that a fingle man has killed
•' thtchief of the prayer"^, whofc death has caufed
" that of our beft warriors : we have only old
" men, and women with their children remain-
ing, who all ft retch out their ;?rms towards
" thee as to a good father. The gal! that for
" merly filled thy heart, has given way to ho*
** ney ; the great fpirit is no longer irritated
"againft- our nation; thou hnft required the
" head of a villain from our hand'- ind in order
" to obtain peace we have fent it thee.

" The fun was red before, all the toads were
" full of thorns and briars ; the clouds were
•• black, the water troubled and ftained with

«c

our

mL.

they call our mifiionariei.

If!

30 TRAVELS tHROOGii

*' our blood -, our women lamented without inCeN
" miflion the lofs of their relations, and durft not
*' venture to go and fetch wood for preparing
•' our viduals ; at the leaft fhriek of the birds
*' of night all our warriors were on foot j they
** never flept without their arms ; our huts were
" abandoned, and our fields lay fallow ; we had
" all of us empty ftomachs, and our faces look-
•* ed long and meagre ; the game and wild-fowl
" fled far from us ; the ferpents angrily hifled
at us ; and the birds that perched near our
habitations feemed, by their doleful notes, to
fing us fongs of death.

To-day the fun is bright, the (ky is ferene,
*' the clouds are vanifhed, the roads covered
*« with flowers j our gardens and fields fliall
•' henceforth be cultivated, and we will offer
*' their firft-fruits to the great fpirit ; the water
*' is fo clear that we fee ourfelves in it ; the fer-
*' pents fly from us ; the birds amufe us by the
*' fweetnefs and harmony of their fongs ; our
*' wives and children dance, and forget to eat and
" to drink ; the whole nation laughs for joy, to
" fee us w'llk on the fame road with thyfelf and
** the French , the fame fun fliall light us, we
" fliall hive but one and the fame fpeech, and
** our hearts fliuH make but one ; we will kill
" them that fliall kill the French i our warriors

•* fliall

LOUISIANA;

** fhall hunt to make them fubfift, and we will
eat together: Will not that be good? what
doft thou fay to it, father ?"

To this difcourfe, which was fpoken with a
firm tone of voice, with grace and decency,
and even, if I may be allowed the expreflion,
with the moft majellic deportment, M. de Bien-
ville anfwered in a few words, in the common
language, which he fpoke pretty fluently ; that
he was very glad that their nation had recovered
their fenfes ; he gave them fomething to cat 5
and, as a mark of friendihip, he put his hand
into that of the fpeaker, and fo fent them home
fatisfied. — Since that time they have always been
inviolably attached to the French, and furnifh
New Orleans with game.

My third letter will prove more interefting ;
however, I hope I have hitherto flilfilled my
promifcs ; and am,

S I R, &c.

Neto Orleans, the ifi
cfjuly 1 75 1,

LET

3* TRAVELS through

ik^^Jk,

LETTER in.

7o the fame,

Defcription of the religious Ciiftoms and Ceremonies
of fame Nations which inhabit the Banks of the
great River Mi0tfippi. Conjpiracy of the Natches
agait^ the French,

SIR, '

£*'^2 ^^ ^^"^ arrived at the place where
i3J ^ 5Jf ^^^ 8^^^^ ^^^^^^ °^ ^h« Natches for-
kJHf Ji( merly lived, of which the public
news have faid fo much. It is aflerted, that this
formidable nation gave laws to others, on ac-
count of the great extent of their country.
They inhabited all the .pace of land between
the river Menchak, which is about fifty leagues
from the fea, and the river Hq^Oy which is near
460 leagues from the fea.

LOUISIANA.

On the 20th of Aaguft we fet out from New
Orleans on our voyage to the Mnois, in fix boats,
On board of whic:i were the four companies
about which I wrote to you in my preceding
letter, commanded by M. de Macarty. We are
obliged to row up againfl: the current of the
river Miffiftppt, on account of the many wind-
ings of that river, which runs between two great
forefts, the trees of which appear to be as an-
cient as the world.

The fird places you come to on voUr voyage
are two villages peopled with Germans, being
the reft of a grant made, in 1720, by the
King to Mr. Laz'^. This colony was to confift of
Germans and I>rovenfals, to the amount of
i5ooperfons; the ground for it was laid out
hear a wild nation called the Akan^as ; it was
four leagues fquare, and the colony was erefted
into a dutchy. They had already iranfported
thither the ammunition and ftores for a company
of dragoons, and merchandifes for the value of
upwards a million of Uvres; but Mr. Law faiK
cd, and the India company, which was at that
time eftablilhed in Louifiana, toaL poflcflion of
iiW the goods.

The colonifts feparated, and the Germans
iettled ten leagues above New Orleans : tKy arc

very

lii

34 TRAVELS through.

very laborious, and are looked upon as the pro-
viders and viauallers of the town. The two
villages are under ;the direaion of a Swediih
captain *. '

Two league further you find a nation called
Colla-pjps, who are diltinguilhed by tKcir at-
tachment to the French ; they are now reduced
to a very fniall number; their true name is A^ue-
kn Pijfas, that is, the nation who hear and fee.

Next you meet with the Oumas, who adore.the
fun. This nation, with molt of the others in
America, believes, that the Supreme Being re-
fides in the fun, and that he defires to be re-
vered in that vivifying orb, as the author of na-
ture: they fay, there is nothing here that can
be compared to him, and that this wonder by
enlightening the earth, fpreads joy and abun-
dance on it Upon thefe principles they wor-
Ihip him, as the vifible image of the greatnefs
and goodnefs of a deity, that contlefcends to
make himfelf known among men, by dif^ribut-
fng his benefaaions amongll'them. ' '

Fifteen

'^ It IS Mr. Jroijhoyrg, who was at the barderof ^altava
m 1709, with Charles XII. Thu old olliccr is the h«ad qf
a numerous family cllabHllK'd ia Loiiifiana.

t 6 V i s i A k

/Fifteen leagues above the Oumas, in going up
the river, you arrive at the Cut pint. This
place is about forty league* diftant irom Nm
Orleans, The foil of it is very fertile, and to-
vcred with fruit-trees. There are a rtunibcr of
Frenchmen in this part of the country, wh6 ^p-
ply themlelves to the culture of tobacco, cotton,
nee, rtiaize, and other corn ; the colonifts Uke-
wife trade in building-timber, which they carry
down the river to NewOrkm upon rafts.

Upon the left flioi^e of the river, a little abdve
the Gut-pcint, you fee the village of the Tonikas,
an Indian nation who have ever been attached
to the French. Theii^ chiefs have always exert-
ed themfelves to be our allies in wafi tht hUt
of them, who was very brave, received a dan-
gerous wound in an expedition againil the Nat^
i'^m: the King, on receiving an account of this
affair, honoured him with a comminion, as bri-
gadier of the armies of red men j and further
prcfetited him with a blue ribbon, f om whicft
hung a niver medal, with a reprefentation of
^arti: he hkewiib received a gold-head^ caflfel'

After the mafTacre of the French by the.
^'^t^hes, whereof I intend to give vou an ac
count in Its place, a part of that narion pretend-
€d to be defirous of making peace with the

U 2

grand

36 TRAVELS THROucit

grand chief of tXitTonikas: the latter commu-
nicated this to the commander-general of tht
French, to whom he was very much attached ;
the Natches prevented the a^ifwer, and aflaffinated
the Tonikasy beginning with their grand chief;
his enemies, who feared our advice and our
forces, made hafte to ruin and dellroy a great
number of his fubjeds. We Ihall always lament,
together with thefe good Indians, the lofs of a
man, whofe great qualities would do honour to
a civilized nation.

After eighty leagues navigation from the ca*
pital of Louifianay we arrived at the poft of the
Natches, which, about twenty years ago, was
very confiderablc, but is very infignificant at
prefent.

The fort is fituatcd on an eminence, which
commands the river MtJJlJippi, from which if is
about the diftance of a cannon- fhot. The
ground, which in this country is always fifing
higher, would be one of the moft fertile, if it
were cultivated ; tobacco, cotton, and maize
fucceed very well in it.

I have made fomc Hay at this poft, which if

commanded by the Chevalier dVrgon, a natural

^ . fon

Louisiana; 57

fon of the Prince de Lambefc, of the houfe of
Lorrain.

The Natches who lived here formerly were a

very confiderable nation. They formed feveral

•illages, that were under fome peculiar chiefs ;

and thefelaftagain, obeyed one grand chief of

the whole nation. All thefe princes bore the^

name of Suns ; there were five hundred of them, '

all relations of the great Sun, their common fove-'

reign, who carried on his breaft the image of

the fun, from which he pretended to tra^e 'his

origin, and which was adored under the name'

offVachil, which fignifics :he great fire orthtfu-

■pr erne fire, i'-^ ^ii' ouys/zoi

>i>«

.311

The manner in which the Naic/ies 'rendered'
divme fefViee to the fun, has fomething folemn'
in It. The high-prieft got up before fun-rifrng,
and marched at the head of the people with a
grave pace, and the calumet of peace in hand ;
he fmoked in honour of the fun, and blew the
firft mouthful of fmoke towards him. On the
appearance of that luminous body, ail the by-
itanders began to howl by turns after the high-
pnef>. and contemplated it with their arms e^^-
tended to heaven. Then they threw themfdves
on the ground; and their women brought their

^ 3 children^''

S T

a?, TRAMEtLS THRflUpH

cfiildren, and taught them to keep ia a dtvQut
attitude.

About fheir harveft-tijpe,, wbiph h^ppcQcd in
J^ly? the Nai(^hei celebrate^ a great feaft. They
began with blacking their faces j and did not
eft till three hours after .iiponv h^viiig preYiouC-

^?f^lf?^^^^*^^^^>^si";l^e b^thsi the oldeft
nian jn ,the nation, then offered ;q their deity the

,.,-]riiey had 4 tcnxplc in which^hey. k«pt up an.
Pt^p^l fife; the priefts topk great ca^-e to^rc,^
ferve it, and fqr this purpofe.they were only al-
lowed to make ufe of the wood of one kind of
tree; if v^lhappily the fire was extinguifhed, all
t|ic people were in the greateft confternation,
and the negle^fpl prieft§ were jpynifli^d witl>,
dea^h : but fuch an py^nt h.app«lif4 y€ry fel-
ipni\ (ox the jce^pers of thjs ceieft^Lfirff coul^
^aiily renew it, by fetching comrnpn Ere, under
pretext of lighting their calumet^ j' for they^
were not allowed to employ the holy fire, for that'

ufe..

»ai

Tr:'^ "srf

...rf

_ When their, fpyereign died, he was accompa
nied ifi the gravp by his wives^ and by fevcral^
of his fubjeas. Th^ lefTer Suns took care to!
M9Wf,UK fame cuflomj, the law likewife con-

demned

L a U- I S I A N A-

^ct^^evtrf Waich^zto death, who had mar-
ried a girl of the blbod of the Sun^, as fo6n as
fhe was expired. On this occafion, I mull tell
pu the hiftory of an Indian, who was no ways
wilting to fabmit to this law : his nanie was Et-
rtaBtal\ he ctintrafted an alliance with th<?
SuArP but the corlfequcnces whieh tits honour
brought along- with it, had like to ha^e proved
verjr unfortuhate to him. His wife fell fick ; ai'
fixiifiiShe fawher atthc point of death, ^e fled,
embarked on a pir%ua on the Mi£ifippi^ and
dame -to New Orledfts! He put hiinftif under
th^ '^meaJdrt of M.-^de Bmvilk,th& thtn go-"
veHtoi-, and offered to be his huntfman. The
Gti^^rhof accepted his fervices, and interefted"
Iflrnf^rf for him with the Natc/ms, who declared
that' he had ndth^hg niore to fedr, becaufe th^
ceremony was paft, ^d he was accordingly no
longer a lawful prizlii * * ' ' ' '^ *^'' ^^'C ^^*-'^

, 'c'v v'j '>u .rnifi /L.-^c :

EHea^eal, bemg thiis afTured, ventured to
return to his nation ; and, without fetding
among them, he made feveral Voyages thither :
he happened to be there when the Sun, called
the Stung Serpent, brother to the great Sun,
died J he was a relation of the Ute wife of £/.
teafJeal, and they refolved to makfe him pay hi^
debt. M. de Bienville had been recalled to
France, and the fovereisn of the Nauhes

thought

■»"v

u 4

^ TRAVELS THROUGH

thought, that the proteftor's abfence had annul,
led the reprieve granted to the proteded per-
fon ; and accordingly he caufed him to be ar-
refted. As foon as the poor fellow found him^.
felf in the hut of the grand chief of war, together
with the other vidlims deftined tp b? facrificed
to the Stung Serpent^ he gave vent to th? excef3*
of his grief. The favogrite wife of the late Sun,
who was likewife to be facrificed, and who faw
the preparations for her death with firmncfs,
and feemed impatient to rejoin her hufband,
hearing £//^«^^^/'s complaints ^pd groans, faid
to him. Art thou no warrior? Jie anfwered,.
yes, I am one. However, faid Ihe, thou cry-
eft, life is dear t;o thee; and as that is the cafe,,
it is not good that thou Ihouldft go along with
vs, go with the women. Ettea^fd replied,.
True, life is ^ear ^o mej it would be well if I
walked yet on. earth till to the death of the grea;
Sun, and I would die with him. Go thy way,
faid the favourite, it is not fit thou fhouldft go
with us, and that thy heart fhould remain ber,
hind on earth j once more get away, and let m^
fee thee no n-

EtteaSieald^d no% ft^y to have this order re.,
peatedtohimj he difappeared like lightning:
three old women, two of which were his rela-
tions, oiFered to pay his debt ; their age and

their

L O U I Si A N:A. 41

their infirmities had difgufled them of life ; none
of them had been able to ufe their legs for a
great while. The hair of the two that were re-
lated to Ettea^eaU were no more gray than thofe
of women of fifty-five /ears in France. The
other old woman was a hundred and twenty
years old, and had very white hair, which is a
a very uncommon thing among the Indians:
none of the three had a quite wrinkled Ikin.
They were difpatched in the evening, one at the
door of the Stung Serpent, and the other Xwo up.
on the place before the templa*. uiijvs.i

31 iv;* HfuiM^

The generofity of thefc women gSLVt ^itea^eal
life again, acquired him the degree of ^^^^<T^i,
and cleared his honour, which he had fuUicd by
fearing death. He remained quiet after that
time J and, taking advantage of what; he had
learnt during his Hay among the French, he be-
came a juggler, and made ufe of hii knowledge
to impofe upon his countrymen -f ; '^v , ,

-■-" ■•' The

^ ^

* A cord is faftened round their necks with a flip krjot,
?rd eight men of their relations ftrangle tjiem, by drawing
four one way and four the other ; fo manj. are not heceflary,
but as they acquire nobility by fuch executions, there arc
always more than are wanting, and the operation is perform,
ed m an inftaijt.

t The jugglers in this country perform the funftiU
ot pnefts, phyficians, and fortune-tellers, and chiefly pre-

r— •%• IV ^aia lur iUftCfCfS,

4«; VP A V E^^ T tArVj

The

UOH

rnornmg lilter thiisr executldft, t^hey tn^cfe*
every thing ftfady for thfe (^nVoy; and tKehoW
being t;m^, ' the great Itiaftei' c^ ihc cer^mdhi^i?
appeared k the doolr of tk* Mittfdorned fuitftbl^^
to his qiiality; the '- Pirn's ^d^^iere t<6 aceb'm^>
pnuy the(^t*eafed priHtef iIffiV^^te manfion of th^'
i>il^ts,'^*f«c^^fth^ th*y eonfiidfed of the fa-v
vGuritfe t^ife '4if the d^eafedi 6f his fecohd #ife,^
his tihkfcellor, hklphyf^dan, his hired man, ^
that i& hwfirf^fisrvm, ' mof fmc m ^tii^ni

The favourite went to. the great Sun, with>
whom there were feveral Frenchmen, to take
iNVC^of him : .fhe gave ordeis yot the Suns of
bbMi i^nes that were her childlm tp appear, ;andi
fpcike t<)(,tliiibUowing cffQO/oaorr?;^ . ...u bu& ,
uth f^t^r -ffm ^^--frn^"! -H .r'^s&'^m^i '
?if' Gi»iidrbi,ithts hthe'dafob-whitilrl anfW
^ t*ar n?yfelf ii-ona you arms, and to fdilcwi
•* yoiirfather's ftep^, who waits for me in the
« country of the fpiritsi if J were to yfeid to;
** four tears, I would injure my love, and fail
** in my duty. ^ I have done enough for you," By
'* H^^*?? PM next to ray^heart;, and by llickr
** ling you with my breafts. You that are del^*
^* Jccniea of his blood, and fed by my milk,
^'^ ought you to fhed tearsi?' Rejoice rather that
"you are tojand warriors ; you are bound to
- ■ §^^il??^f ^^^ ^^ firmnefs and valour to the

" whole

«c

LOU I SJI A N A. 4j.

" whole BjLtmt go, tny children, I have pro-
" yided.foi*, ail your wants, by procuring you
" friends J hiy friends, and thofe of your father,^
"-' are yours too; I leave yoii amidft thm j
**?% are the French, they arc tender-hearted
^*and generous, make yourfelves worthy of
" their cftecm, b). lot degenerating from your
*.*• race ; . sd ./ays aft.opcnly witfe tfaen^ and ntvct'
*fimpl ? thein with meannefs, . ; n ^'

ii « And y '.ui Frenchnitfft^'? . sdd^d Ihe, tMtfvihg
hoiifM fowania our officers, «< I recommend my
'* ciTp&aiiKchiJrdren- to ydu^; ihey will Know no
'» other father^ than ybu j yba ought ro p^oted
*?-them."^' -.tb-^e ii'voift a-u:ia -^1,^1 ivj^u ^ynilr*

c. Afid'rtfiae ftie got up v ^iid; • fc^wed by heir
troop, . reuirncd to hep- hoVband's hut^ with a
furprifing firmnefs,

A nobl6 woman came to join herfdf to th^
numbei' of viaims of her own accord, bti-np^en -^
gagedi by the friendship fhe bore the Sitm^^r^
peni^ to follow him into the other world. The
Europeans called her the haughty lady, on ac,
count of her majeftic deportment, p4 her
proud air, and becaufe fiie only frequented the
company of the moft diftinguillied Frenchmen ;
they regretted her much, becaufe Ihe had the

know-

J 8 .1;

THROUGH

4f- TRAVELS

knowledge of feveral fimples, with which /he
had faved the lives of many of our fick. This
moving fight filled our people with grief and
horror. The favourite wife of the deceafed rofe
up, and fpoke to them with a fmiling countenance-
« I die without fear," faid fiie, « grief does not
2 embitter my laft hours, I recommend my
children to you ; whenever you fee them,'
«* noble Frenchmen, remember that you have
" loved their father, and that he was till death
•* a true and fincere friend of your nation, whom
•^ he loved more than himfelf. The difpofer of
*^ life has been pleafed to call him, and I (hall
'' fppn go and join him ; I fhall tell him that I
*^ have feen your hearts moved at the fight of
** his corps : do not be grieved ; we fhall be
'' longer friends in the country of the /pints than
'* her.% b?caufe we dp nqt die there again *,*♦ •

Thefe words forced tears from the eyes of all

the French -, they were obliged to do all they

CQuld to prevent the ^rcat Sun from killing him.

W'f for he was inconiblable at the death of his

^^_^ ^^ broth(:r»

. * ^k^ ^°"' ''"^"''cJ '"r lh« cereniony. ^hey madp the
viaim^Twallow little Mis or pills of tobacco, in order to
mnke them giddy, and as It were to take the fenfation of
rrun from them ; after that they were all ftranglcd, and put
upon mats, the fayouritc on U,e right, the other wife on the
U'tt, and the others according to their rank.

"U«™W»M«W

LOUISIANA. 45

brother, upon whom he was ufed to lay the
weight of government, he being great chief of
%yar of the Matches. /. e. Generaliffimo of theiV
armies J that prince grew furious by the refift-
ance he met with ; he held his gun by the bat^
rel, and the Sun, his prcfumptive heif, held it
by the lock, and caufed the powder to fall out of
the pan ; the hut was full of Suns, Nobles, and
Honourables », who wei-e all trembling : but the
French raifed their fpirits again, by hiding all the
arms belonging to the fovereign, and filling the
barrel of his gun with water, that it might be
unfit for ufe for fome time*

As foon as the Suns faw their foversign's lif«
in fafcty, they thanked the French, by fquecz-
ing their hands, but without fpeaking ; a mod
profound filence reigned throughout, for grief
and awe kept in bounds the multitude that were
prcfent.

The wife of the great Sun was feized with

fear during this tranfadlion. She was alked

_ whether

• The cftablifhcd diflinftions among ihefe Indians were
as fbUov/s: The Suns, relations of the great Sun, held th«
higheft rank ; next came the Nolltsi after them the Hono^
n^hltsi andlaft ofall, the common people, who were very
rnich defpifed. As the nobility was propagated by the wu-
men, this contributed much to multiply it.

K' I

46 TRAVELS THROUGH

whether Ihe was ill ; and fhe aafwered aloud,
" Yes I am -," and added, with a lower voice,
" if the Frenchmen go out of this hut, my huf.
•^ band die^, and all the Natchcs will die with
• him ; ftay then, brave Frenchmen, bccaufe
"your words are as powerful as arrows; be-
•' fides, who could have ventured to do what
*' you have done ? But you are his true friends
f ' and thofe of his brother." Their laws obliged '
the greaf Sun's wife to follow her hulband m the
grave : this was doubtlefs the caufe of her fears*
and likewife the gratitude towards the French,
who interefted thcmfelves in behalf of his life,
prompted her to fpeak in the above-mentioned
planner.

The great Sun gave his hand to the officers,
and faid to them': '« My friends, my heart is fo
^* overpowered with grief, that, though my
" eyes were open, I have not taken notice that

you have been ftanding all this while, nor
*' have I aflved you to fit down ; but pardon the

excefs of my afflidlion."

«(

The Frenchmen told him, that he had no
need cf excufes j that they were going to leave
him alone, but that they would ccafe to be his
friends unlefs he gave orders to light the fires

again

ik-MiV I s I vA- 1^

again % lighting his own before thep, and th^
thejr flioMld not, .teaye him tiil his bfothcr was
J3U^ier^.

•uiiif o/hv

(Ho

. ;He took all thc|?renchTOn.bj- the hands, ^d

faid. "Mnce aUthe chiefi and noble officers

wiU have me ftay on eartl^, J.^iil do k, I wiH

,..flot kill .pyfclf i let the fires be lighted again

." .ramediatcly, and I'll vjait ?ill death joinTme

« to my brother , I am already old, and till I

d,c. I ftall walk with the French ; had it „ot

been for them, I Ihould have gone with my

brother, aiul all the roads would have b-en

" coyered with dead bodies."

: : This prince pnly furviv<rd, the Sl««s Serpent
one year, and liis nephew Aicceeded him The
reign of that young prince proved very unfort«r
nate to the colony. You (hall fee. Sir, by th,5
.tequel of this letter, that the colony owes it.
lafety only to tlie mother of this ioverei<.n • flje
got from him the fecret of .he general confpiraq.
"gainltour nation, whom Ihe loved very mudi.

I muft do juftice to the Indians ;. the projea
which tliey formed of dellroying all tl.e f rcncj,
„ ' . here,

* The groat Su^ had given orders eo put ant -^H the fir.,
v^hlch u only done at tl.. .u...u _r ., / '" ^^ ^'^'*'

"48

TRAVELS tHROutfH

here, was nut the refult of natural inconftanc^
or fickle temper ; it was the bad conduft of aft
officer, who infulted a" people whom he ought
to have treated gently, that roufed their anger.
Free born men, liWng peaceably in the country
where their anceftors fettled, could not bear the
tyranny which the ftrangers exerclfed over them,
who were come to fettle amongft them. The
Sieur de Chepar^ commandant of the poll of the
Natches, negledtcd to gain the cftecm of the
French and the Indians under his care j he abu-
fcd thofe who would not enter into his criminal
conduft, and trulled the moft important ports
to ferjeants and corporals who were entirely de-
voted to him. You can eafily conceive. Sir,
that the military difcipline was entirely fubvert-
ed by preferences of this kind, which are fo con-
trary to fubordination.

M. Dumont, the fecortd officer, made remon^
ftrmces, which were not attended to, and to
which he gave no other anfwer than by putting
him in irons. As foon as he was fet at liberty,
he went down to the capital to lay his complaints
before M. Perrier, then govern jr of Louifmna.
M. de Chepar was recalled to give account of hrs
conduft i he was to be broken, but his intrigues
and his patrons ferved him, he was acquitted
and fcnt back to his polh

Infl-pnrT

L O U I s i A t^ A. 49

Inftead of being correfted by this mortifica-
tion, he conduced hihifelf as before, and be-
came the objedl of detcftation and abhorrence of
both the French and Indians ; he irritated the
Utter, and forced them to coltie to the moft
violent extremities. M. de Chepar, defirous of
making his fortune in a Ihorc time, fummoned
the Sun of a village called the .^ppk, to retire
with his people, and to leave him the ground
which he occupied, becaufe he wanted to make
himfelf a habitation on it, which Ihould turn
out to good account. The Cacique reprcfented to
him, that the bones of his ancei>:ors were repofed
there : his remonftrances proved ufelcfs i the
French commandant ordered the Great Sun to
caufe the village to be evacuated, and even
threaterred to fend him loaded with irons to New
Orleans in cafe of non compliance. Perhaps
this officer thought, he could treat the chief as
a (lave j he did not refleft, that he fpoke to a
man accuftomed to command, and whofc autho-
rity was dcfpotic over his fubjeds*

The Great Sun heard him, arid retired with*
out ihewing any paflion ; he afiembled his
council, where it was refolved, that M. de Che-
par Ihould be told, that before they could eva-
cuate the y///>/tf village, they muft make the plan
of another, and that this required two moons time.

Vol. L e This

■

5p, TRAVEL^ THii^oucH

This, r^foluxion was notified to t^e go^er-
m, who fcnt back the- m,e)(rengcr^, ^Ad-thre^t-
efl<rd.theixiwich the feyereiVpuaiihrnents, if. the
village of. the Appk >vas not pyt in his hands
WHhm a veiy flio^t, t^nm. This anfw^r was
broiighx to.the council, where the old . men w^cc
oi- Qpanian that th^jr ought to g^n time, during,
wnich they.fliould canfult. upoi^ , dif means of
getting^rid of t^ief^ trouh^fomie Grangers, who.
v^e^e go,ng to, become tyrants, A^ they J,new
i^. 4f C,hs^ar to b^.,ve^y i^\^ they agreed, to,
Pfoppfe It toJiim, to grant them a delgj. ol'feveral
months, during which each hut was to give hmi
a.t^bute. in Indian corn oi- mai^e, in game, and.
^,,%s, Th^ aya,ice, o|; the governor madc;
h}mM\ into the fnare j he accepted tli€ propo-
Ation, but pretended however that hp only did
It in o^rder to oblige the rvaijion, whom.he loved
op account of their CQflftant fr^ndilyp with. th©.
^J-ench. The Grm Sm wap not impofed upon
by this, artful difmtei-^ft€dne.<^ j., he ordered his
council to meet again,, and informed them, that .
the term they had dcfired had been granted, and
that It was necefTary they ihould make good ule
of It, confider of the means of getting rid of a
heavy tribute, and above all of the tyrannical
domination of the Erench. He obferved, that
fwch an enterprize required an inviolable fecrer, •
folid meafures, and, above all, a. great deal of

cunning ;

t d tf 1 s t A M A jt

he recommended it to them', that
thtf fhbuld in the niean while increafe the proofs
of cortfidferiee and friendHiip to the Freh^fi ; re^
fiefl: lipori what was to' he done, and' return to
the cou'ndil as Toon as they had hit upoil fome
iDfbjeft which might be attended with certain
fucccrs*

During five or fix days the nobles and old
men confulted' with each other* and met again
unanimoufly refolved to deftroy all the French.
The oldeft man in the council^ having feluted
his chief, fpoke to the following efJed: :

•* We have long experieiicedj that the heigh-
" bourhood of the French does us more harm
"than good; we old men perceive it, but our
"youths do not fee it; the European goods
'^pleafethe young people, but of what" fervice
" are they ? They feduce our wives, corrupt
** the manners of the nation, debauch our giria,
"and make them proud and idle. The young
•' men are in the fame cafej the hufbands muft
" over-work themfelves, merely to fatisfy thd
•• luxury of their wives. Before the French
•* came into thefe countries, we were men, we
" were contented with what we had j we walk-
«tfd boldly on all the roads, becaufe we were
"our own mafteis; but now we only go by

E a

rf.

5a TRAVELS through

*' groping, for fear of finding thorns in our
** way i we go like flaves, and fuch we fhall
** foon be, fince they ufe us as fuch already.
" As foon as they Ihall have power enough,
•* they will no longer keep in bounds, they will
" load us with irons ; has not their chief threat-^
" ened to offer that indignity to ours ; and is
" not death preferable to flavery * ?"

Here the orator paufed ; and, after taking
breath, continued as follows :

" What ihall we wait for ? Shall we fuffer
the French to multiply till we can no longet
refifl them ? What will the other nations fay
of us ? We pafs for the mod f ifible among
the red men f , anr^ they will have reafon to
fay that we have lels fenfe than other people.
Why fhall we wait longer ? • Let us fet our-
felves at liberty, and let us fliew that we are
true men. We mutt begin this day to pre-,
pare for it i we mutt order our wives to get
visuals in readinefs, withoyt telling them the

" reafon.

cc
cc
<c

cc
cc

Nature alor.e has taught thefc favages to fefpeft theif
fovereign, and to cherifh liberty.

f Thus the Indians call themfelves, to dilHnguifli theiri-
felves from the Europeans who arc white, and from the A-
fjicans who are black.

•<

it
i<
cc

<4
if
((
C(

<c
<(
cc

((

((
i(
<(
cc

L O U I S I A N A. 53

reafon. Let us bring the calumet of peace to
all the nations of this country, and tell them
that the French ftrive to fubdue this whole
continent; and that, as they are ftronger in
our neighbourhood than any where elfe, we
fhall be the firfl: whom they will load with
their yoke. As foon as they fhall have fuffi-
cient forces, they will load all the other na-
tions with it J let us convince them how much
it is their intereft to prevent this misfortune,
which cannot be avoided but by exterminating
them ; let all the nations join us in this un-
dertaking ; let us deftroy the French every
where on the fame day, and at the fame hour;
let the time of the malTacre be that of the ex-
piration of the term their chief has granted
us : thus we can free ourfelves from the tri-
bute which we have laid on ourfelves ; and
thus the viftuals which we brought them, will
come into our pofTeffion again : On that great
day of liberty our warriors ihall have their
fire-arms with them ; the NaU/ies fhall fpread
among the French, there fhall be three or
four of us in each houfe to one Frenchman ;
they fhall borrow fire-arms and ammunition
of them, under pretence of a general chace
on account of fame great feafl, and they fhall
promife to bring back fomc game. Some
guns fired near the houfe of the governor of

cue

54 TRAVELS thuough

^' the forjr, Ihall be the fignal for them to f*li'

" upon the French. In order to m^e »U the

" advantage we can pf this blow, the either na*

"tions muft fecondusi they tnyll ma|ce the

*' fan^e maflacre of the Frenchmen at their ie-

« Veral ilatioi^s ; tp be fure of that^ we mqft

*« mal^e fome bundles of rods, containing an

^'erju^l-nuuiber, give e^h of them a bundle,

*^and l^eep one; let them tajce notice of the

" number of days they are to wait ; every morn-

" ing one rod muft be cut in pieces an4 thrown

^' into th? fi^-^, and when there wilj be but one

" left, the time of the flaughtcr is come ; it

" muft begin at the Hrft quarter of the day (i. e,

** at nine o'clock in the morning); we Ihail fall

♦' upon our tyrants all at once j they ftiaji be

" overwhelmed on a|l fide$; and when they are

once deftroyed, it will be an eafy matter to

prevent thofe from fettling among us tliat

" come from the old continent, acrofs the great

*' lake. It muft be recommended before all

* * things, to be exad in drawing a rod from tlie

^' bundle every day ; the leaft miftake can have

"dangerous confequences j we Ihall charge

".rome wife man with it, and we muft beg our

i* neighbours to imitate us.''

Here the orator gave over, and the old men
approved of his propofaJ; the Sun of the Jppl*

village

c«

((

LOUISIANA.

village applauded above all ; he was the mofl
liurt by the injuftice of M. de Chepar ; his pri-
vate revenge would accordingly be the moft fa-
tisfied, he fekred to fee it fail, and therefore re-
prefented to the council the confequences of in-
difcretion, and even engaged them to keep the
fecret of this confpiracy from the female Suns^.
It now remained to make the grand chief of the
Natches enter into their fcheme ; nbt^ithftanding
the great defire he had to be rid of the French^
the projed feemed too violent to him ; the Sun
of the Apple rook upon himfelf to determine
him to iti he was reckoned a man of fcnfe and
penetration, and on that account was in great
repute with the nation : he fucceeded ; he re-
marked to the great Sun the necefllty of this
meafure, by telling him what he had to fear for
himfelf; the French governor of the fort had
threatened him, that he would foon drive him
from his village j the great Sun was young, and
confequcntly a weak man, he that fpoke to him
was a cunning one , the defign was approved of:
the next morning, when the Suns came to fa-
lute their fovereign, they received orders to go

E 4 ^ to

* The Indians have two vords to denote male and fe-
male Syns, (after the manner of the En^lifh wbrds prince,
princefs) which the French author has happily expreffcd by

Sc/eiJ and Sdeille.

^^6 TRAVELS through
to the village of the Apple, under fome pre.
tence or other, without raifing any fufpicion th^t
^hey went thither in purfqance of fome order ;.
this was executed as required. The feducing
genius of the Sun qf the Apr,le attraded them
^11, and they all promifed to enter into the con-
fniracy. A council of Suns and old men wa?
immediately formed ; the projed was propofe^
there again, and carried unanimouny; the old
men were appointed apbafiadors to the other
nations ; fhey had warriors to accompany them,
and it was forbidden under pain of death to
fpeak of this to any perfon. They fet out im-
mediately all at once, and unknown to the
French.

Notwithftanding the profound fecrst that was

kept among theNatches, the common people was

iineafy at the councils of Suns and noble old men

that had been held j it is not uncommon in every

country in the world, to fe? fubjefts endeavour

to penetrate the fecrets of the court. However

the curiofity of the people qould not be fati^!

iied ; none but the female Suns (or princefTes)

had a right m this nation to enquire why they

kept their proceedings fj^cret from them. The

young wife of the Preat Sun was but eighteen

years old, and cared very little about it ; only

the remale Sun called the S/u?:^ Arm, mother

I- O U I S J A N A.

the fovereign, and a woman of good fenie
(which ihe was not ignorant of) could take it
ill, that they kept the fecret from her. She
ihewed her difcontentment to her fon, who an^
fwered, that the embaffics were fent out for the
fake of renewing alliances with other nations,
with whom they had long u.en at peace, and
wlio might think themfelves defpifed if they
were longer negleded. This diiTimulated an-
fwer feemcd to rppeafc the Sun Stung Arm, but
it did not take oif her uneafinefs ; on the contra-
ry it redoubled, when fhe faw, upon the return
of the ambafladors, that the Suns aflembled in
fecret with thofe deputies, to hear how they had
been received, whereas fuch councils were gene-
rally held in public.

The princefs was vexed at this : What, fald
fhe to herfelf, they hid from me what the whole
pation ought to know : if her prudence had not
checked her anger, Ihe would have given vent
to it then. It was happy for the French that (he
thought herfelf thus defpifed r Ihe juftly feared
to augment cne impofllbility of coming at the
fecret, if Hie laid open her difpleafure. Her ge-
nius fuggefted her the means of fatisfying her
cunofity ; fhe prevailed upon the great Sun, her
fon, to go with her to fee a relation who lived
ii? thp village pf the Apple, and who fhe had

heard

I 'iri

58 TRAVELS tHROuoH

*ieard was very ill. Under pretence df leading
him the fineft road, fhe took him on tht longeft,
which was indeed the lead frequented. She had
« good deal of penetration j fhe imagirted, that
the motive of this fecrct arofr from thtir carry^
ing on fonncthing to the Jifadvantage of the
French i what confirni^'lier conjedures, were
the preparations whicb^he Sun of the A]ypk
was making. I^'indl^herfelf in a folit^^y place
with her fon, /he fpokc to him in the following
words.:

" Let us fit down here, for I am tired^ and
•* I have likcwife fomethip.g to fay to thee -" aS
foon as they were fcated, fhe added, «♦ Open
** thy ears to hear me-, 1 never taught thee to
" lie, and I always told thee, that a liar did not
** deferve to be ranked among men, and th.^t a
lying SuH d'^crvcd to meet with the greateft
contempt, and even from women > therefore
** I believe thou wilt tell me truth. Tell me
*• then, are not all the Suns brothers ? How-
•* ever, they all keep off from me, as if my lips
** were cut off, and I cowld not retain my words ;
♦» or doft thou think that I ever fpoke in my
•• flcep. I am in defpair to fee myfclf flighted
" by my brothers, but above all by thee.
«* What, art thou not my own ofi%pring? I J aft
♦• thou not fuckled ac my bread ? And have I

♦' not

«(

LOUISIANA.

« not fed thee with my purcft blood ? Does not
" the fame blood run in our veins ? Couldft
" thou be a Sun if thou wert not myfon ? Haft
" thou forgotten, that, without my care, thou
" wouidlb have been dead long ago ? Every
" body, and I myfclf have told thee, that thou
" art the fon of a Frenchman * ; but my own
** blood is dearer to me than that of ftrangers.
" I now w k by thy fide like a bitch, without
" being looked upon j I wonder that thou doft
" not kick me away with thy foot : I am not fur-
- prifed that the others hide thcmfelves from
" me i but thou, who art my fon, canft thou
" do it ? Haft thou ever feen a fon miftruft his
" mother in our nation ? Thou art the only
" one of that temper. There is fuch an uproar
" in the nation, and I am ignorant of the caufe
« rf it, I who am the old Sun j art thou
" afraid that I Ihould rebuke thee, or make thee
*' the nave of the French, againft whom you
" aa ? O ! I am tired of this contempt, and
" of walking with fuch ungrateful people."

The

* This princcfs had, for « long time, loved an officer o(
our nation ; there was no doubt of his being the fathv of
the great Sun. and that took ofF nothing of the refpcft th^t
his fubjras owed him; the women gave nobility among
them, and they were contented if they were fure of « man'i

niotliM* .lis.. _- I i*..i •

motlter^ they cared vcrv little tn !,««.., ..,u

2 iSitf tiiiliCr*

€o

TRAVELS THROUGH

\i 1

The fon of this Sun was quite ftruck with her
difcourfe ; he was moved by it to tears, and
heaiid thefe remonftrances with the ufual tran-
quility of an American, and with the refped
due to a princefs ; he afterwards anfwered her
to the following purport. " Thy reproaches arc
*' arrows which pierce my breall, and I do not
« think I ever fcorned or defpifed thee j but haft
'' thou ever heard it faid, that the rcfolves of
«' the council of the old men m-y be revealed ?
•^ Is it not the duty of all men to keep fecrets,
** and I who am a Ibvereign ought not I to fet
" an example ? The great Sun my wife has
" not bfen informed of the fccretany more than
" tbyfclf. I'hough it is known that I am a
** Frenchman's fon, I have not been miftruiled ;
*' they have well imagined, that thy great ge-
*' nius would .'^.nd out the fecret of the council;
*' but when u was kept from the great Sun my
" wife, was it fit that thou Ihouldll be informed
*' of it ? But fince thou haft guedcd it all,
" what can I tell thee further f I'hou knoweft
" as much of it as myfclf, fo Ihut thy mouth."

" I was dubious," faid fhe, «« about whom
" you were taking fo many precautions j but
" fince it is againft the French, I fear you have
** not taken your rneafurcs well to furprife
" them J for I knew they have a great deal of

"fenfc,

LOUISIANA. Ci

"fenfe, though the governor of this flation has
** loft his ; they are brave ; they have goods
" in fiifficient quantity to make all the other na-
« tions ad againft us. If you had a mind to at-
f^' tack only the red men, I {hould Heep with
«* more fecurity i I am no more youno-*- an
« old woman's life is a trifle, but thine^'is dear
•* to me. If your old men have thought it as
" cafy a matter to furprife the French as the red
" men, they are grofsly miftaken > the French
" have refources which we have not, thou know-
" eft they have the /peaking fuhficme (i. e, pa-
"per)."

Her Ton told her, that ilie had nothing to fear
with regard to the meafures which had been ta^
ken. After telling her all that I have juft now
informed you of, he told her that the bundle of
rods was in the temple, t.pon the flat piece of
wood (or the table).

When the prlncefs was fufficiently informed
of every particular, fhe pretended to approve
of the proceedings; and, leaving her fon entire-
ly eafy, fte only meditated on the means of ren-
dering this barbarous dcfign abortiv- ; flie had
but little time left, for the day [. J tbr the
maflacre was near at hand.

This

Her lover was already dead

JO?

time.

€^

TRAVELS THRotroK

i! if,

IIP'

I? !

'■ 11 fi-l

This woman could not donfent to fee all the
French dcftroyed in one day by the conf|>iracv
of the Notched ; (he therefore undertook' to bid
thenr keep upon their guard ; for that purpofe
fhe made ufc of fbme Indian girls who had^
French lovers, but ihe commanded them ex-
prefsly nof tb fay that they afbed by her ordert.

The Skurde Mad, enfign of the garrifon of
the fort at the Natches, received advice by a
young Indian girl who loved him i fhe told him
crying, that her nation was to maffircre all the
French. M. de Mace, amazed at this difeouffe,
queftioned his miftrefs : her fimple anfwers and
' her tender fears left him no room to doubt of
the plot : he went immediately to give M. de
C^i^^rintdligence of it, who put him under arrcft
for giving a falfc alarm j fcvcn of the inhabitants
of the fort, iiiftrufted by the fame means, co-
ming to afii his leave to take up arms, in ordci*
to prevent a furprife, were put in irons j the go-
vernor treated them as cowards, and was vexed
that tl-jey endeavoured to infpire him with any
miftruft againft a nation that fhewed fo much
friendihip: the regularity of their payments kept
up his fecurity : he did not fufped the politics of
the Indians •, he blindly defpifed them, nor did
he think men of their* kind capable of fo much
•cunning.

The

jL O U I s I A I* A.

T^hc Sun iV«ifg- Jrm M with grief, that htsi
cares for the confcrwation: of cb&. French wcrei
ulelefs ; Ihe was determined to ferve them in
fpite of themfi'Ives i f]»e- could not prefemi them
allv aflduhcnefore fhe endeavoured to Ic/fen the^
number of viaims- a$ much as oQfflblc ; fhe ft.
cretly went to th( t^mpte ^ fh^- drew a* eoupte*'
of rods out of the bundle unnoticed by the'.
pneftsi h«- intention was to forward the day
fixed for the e?cecution of the confpkzcf, Ac
forefaw that the mafRcre which would happen at
the Ma/c/m yvoM footi be fpread far about
that the French who were fcttied »mong tli^
other nations would be informed of it, and be
upon their guard. That was^ the only thing that
remamed f^r iier to do, and flic fucceedcd in It-
the Natch<^s found they wete: come to their hdt ^
rod, wirfK)i>t perceiving the impofturc; they..
boldly began tlie intended flatighter, in the pei^i^'
fuafion that their allies would ad at the ramc

time.

u ^i

Thec3th of December 1^9, at eight in the'

niormng, th^ Indians fpread among the FWnthr

fome difcharges of guns, that were to ftrve asi?

hgnal, were fired near the door of M.' de Chepar^

' houfe/

■MataA

^ejpi?'*^''' '^^ ^""' """""^ "^^ '^°*"' '^^^^'^ ff° ^'^'•'^ »^«

64 TRAVELS tHRdircrf

houfe; and immediately they fell upon thd
French every where at the fame time.

Meir. d6 Rotly, chief faftors of the Weft In-
dia company, were killed firft. M. de la Loire
des Urfitts houfe made fome refiftance ; his fer-
Vants killed eight Natchis before they were over-^„
powered. M. des XJrftns himfelf, who jiift wa»
taking a ride, but returned at the firft firing o4
the guns, was flopped by a troop of Indians j
he defended himfelf very bravely, killed four of
them, and died pierced with wounds. 1 his is
all that the entreprife coft the Indians: they
murdered near two thoufand perfons ; only
twenty-five or twenty-fix negroes efcaped, and
moft of them were wounded. One hundred and
fifty children, ninety women, and as many ne-
groes, were taken prifoners, in hopes of felling
them to the Englifh in Carolina*

fiuring this carnage the great Sun was quiet-
ly fitting under one of the India company's
ware-houfes ; they brought' him firft of all the
head pf the governor, then thofe of the chieC
Frenchmen,, which he ordered to be ranged
round the firft. All the others were put in
heaps J the corpfes were not buried, and be-
came the prey of vultures ; they cut open the
bodies of women big with child, and murdered

almoft

LOUISIANA.

almofl: all thofe that had children at the breaft,
becaufe their cries and tears importuned them j
they made ali the reft Haves, and treated them'
with the greateft indignity.

Some people pretend, that M. de Chepar had
the misfortune to perilh laft of all, and ta be the
^edator of this horrible (laughter: he then
found, but too late, how wife the advices were
that had been given him. The Indians told
him, that a dog as he was did not deferve to die
by the hands of warriors : he was given up to
the Jiinking fellotvs *, who killed him with ar-
rows, and afterwards cut off his head.

Such was the death of a man who only follow-
ed his own head, his cruelty, his avarice, and
his ambition. As no Frenchman efcaped from
this maflacre, it cannot be exadlly alcertained
what kind of death they made the Governor un-
dergo ; it is enough to know, that his enemies
were a barbarous people, whom he hud irritated.
A good adminiftration would have attached them
to the French, who drew great advantages frojn
them : thus the fault of one man can draw after
it the ruin of a whole colony j one cannot be
Vol. I. F a,f.

* The common people among the Natchcs are called Mi^
(fu-M,chequipi, xvhich (igxni^es Jtinknig fello^v.

T R A V EL S THROl/GH

fufficiently cautious in the choice of tliofe whq
are to be feat as governors into thofe parts. The
Indians, notwithftanding the ideas we have of
^heni, are not always eafily managed; polir
tics and wifdom muft neccflarily be employed,
in order to obtain their friendfliip ; they will not
be offended with impunity, this hiftory is a
proof of it ; nothing could be better conduced
than the plot of the Natches ; and how unhappy
had it been, without the interpofition of Provi-
dence ! The Sun Stung Arm was worthy of the
greateft acknowledgement:;, but it is not well
known how they have been made to her.

The nations who entered into the plot with
the Natches^ not knowing the ftratagem by
which the fVroke had been advanced, believed
they were betrayed : The Cha^aw nation ima-
gined, that the Natches were unwilling to give
them their fhare of the plunder of the French ;
and, to convince the latter that they had no part
in the conjuration, they joined rhem in order to
cbalt Ife the Natches. 'J'hcfe returned the French
women and the negroes whom they had taken ;
Ibme time after thry were attacked in their in-
rrcnthments, but efcapcd by the help of a thuHr
der-fh^rm, and quitted the country. About a
thoufmd of them were tnl:en and brought to
Nci^ Qrlccms^ and afterwards fold to the i<le of

St,

LOUISIANA.

St. Domingo. Among thefe prifoners was the
Great Sun, his wife, and his mother, who rela-
ted to the French the above detail of the plot.
The Great Sun difowned the maflacre ; he faid
that his nation had abufed his youth, in or-
der to ftrike this blow ; that he had always lov-
ed the French ; that it was their own chief who
had compelled the Natehes to this defperate
adlion, by his extortions upon a free nation.
The French were contented with his disavowal ;
they treated him and his mother and wife with
gentlenefs ; but as they did not return to their
nation, they foon died with grief. Since that
time this country is not inhabited : the Natc/tes,
being purfued by the French, and bein<r too
weak to refill: them, took refuge among the C/w-
£ac/ias\ where they found an afylum.

We Hill have a fort here, but the colony is
far from being brilliant; the means of eftablilh-
ing It would be to attrad other Indians to it.
This is all. Sir, which I can relate to you con-
cerning this part of the country. I fhall now
foon leave it, and continue my voyage ; and I
conclude my letter, by renewing to you the pro-
teftations of thofe fentiments which you know
me capable of. And am, S I R, &c.
^t the Natches, Sept,

10. 1751,

F 2

L E. T.

f Chickiifaws,

JEW*!

68 TRAVELS through

^ig'^^^^^S^

LETTER

IV.

To the fame.

The Author arrives at the Akanzas. Unhappy
Death of the People of Ferdinando Soto. Re^
Jkmons on the Folly of Menwhofeek for a Moun-
tain of Gold. Origin of the famous Dorado.
Short Account of the tragic Death of M. de la
Salle.

S I R,

iM^^Wa ^ ^ ^ ^ failing about a hundred and
95 ^ PS ^^^"^y leagues to the north of the
Sut^^ijJ Matches, up the MiJJifippi, without
meeting with any habitation' on the road, we
arrived among a nation famous for their friend-
fhip for the French, and known formerly, from
the expedition of Ferdinando Soto. I fpoke to
an old Indian chief of this country, who told
me, he faw M. de la Salle !ere in 1682, when
he difcovered the great river St. Louis, known

under

L O U I S r A N A. 69

under the name of Miffifippi, or, as the Indians
pronounce it, Me/JiaJJ'epi, which fignifies all the
rivers, or the great river,

M. de la Salle pafled by this nation in coming
down the river : he made acquaintance with
them, and took pofleflion of their country in
the name oi Louis le Grand, of glorious, memo-
ry * ; after fixing the crofs and the arms of
France there, he followed the courfe of the Mif-
MppU which enters into the famous gulph of
Mexico. He took the latitude at its ftlOuth,
which he found to be twenty-nine degrees north i
he failed up again afterwards to the river of
Illinois, from whence he went to Canada, and
from thence he returned into France,

F 3 On

• If tyranny, oppreffion, and unbridled ambition are fuf-
fident to immortalize a prince, it is certain Lenxjis XIV. has
a juft claim to be called great. It was his happinefs to have
great minifters in the firft par^ of his life, in a time when
the greater part of Europe had very few manufafturcs ; but
he was weak enough to give ear to the advices fuggefted to
him by the Jefuits, and a fuperannuated and bigotted mi-
ftrcfs : this overturned the fyftem of grandeur for which the
minifters had laid a good foundation, and Lewis had the
misfortune to fee all the rival nations around him grow
powerful and rich, by the emigration of his oppreffed Pro-
teftant fubjefts, and thus he outlived his own greatnefs :
his death was the moft fortunate event for France in her
weak mn cxhauited ftate. F.

70 TRAVELS through

On his arrival at court, he imparted his dif-
covery to MefT. Colbert and de Seignelai, who ob-
tained for him a commjffion from the King, ar,-
porting, that all the countries which he flv ].,
difcover from New Bifcay to the Illinc^is, a.-d th>
people, both Frenrh and Indians, that (houid '; c
in thofc countries, Ihould be under his orders.

It was at the fame natiorj, called Jkanzas,
that Mr. Joutel arrived, who fet out after the
death of M. dela Salle, with guides to find out
the Mfi,^j>pi. This is the only officer who has
left us an account which may be credited. I
think I ought to give you an abftraa of it ;
you will find the hiftory of M. de la Salle in it,
and of the end of his unlucky expedition.

In regard to Ferdinand Soto's voyage, I fliall
but juft mention, that the general hiftory of the
Weft Indies informs us, that this great officer,
proud .nd enriched by the conqueft of Peru, af-
ter imbruing his facrilcgious hand^ in the blood
of the unfortunate family of^ the Incas, intended
to penetrate into this country with the braveft
of his foldiers, to fubdue the nations that inha-
bit the neighbourhood of this river, of which I
am going to give you a defcription ; but he did
not know the interior parts of this vaft conti-
nent; perhaps he expefted to find effeminate

, nation?

t o u i s i A

N A.

nations in it, as in South America ; he was mif-
tak.cn in his hopes, part of his people were kil-
led with clubs by the Indians, who flayed the
principal officers of his army, and afterwards
expofed their llcins on the aoor of their temple,
which fo frightened the Spaniards that they re-
imbarked immediately for EuropCi

Tlie hiftorian lays, that Ferdinand Soio died
of the fliamc which the bad fuccefs of this enter
prize had brought on him, in 1543$ and, fmce
that time till 1682, this fine country has been
inhabited by nb Europeans*

The fate of M. de I Salle has been rto happier
than that of Ferdinand Soto,

Thefe is ho virtue in li^an which is not blench-
ed witi. fome faults ; this is generally the fault
of human hatUre ; and what increafes our humi-
liation, the greatefl virtues are often accompa-
^hied by the greateft vices. You will eafily per-
ceive this, Sir, by the iliort extratSl from M.
JouMs Journah

M. Rolert Ctivelier de la Salle fet fail from R^^
chelle the 24111 of July 1684, with a fquadron of
four fhips, commanded by M. de Beaujeu, a
captain of a fhip. Two hundred and eighty-

F 4 iive

TRAVELS

THROUGH

I,! 111'?

ill • I

five perfons, together with thirty volunteers *
and fome gentlemen, and a number of workmen
and girls embarked with him. M, de la Salle
■ was on board M. de Beaujeu\ Ihip, in whom he
repofed no manner of confidence. Whatever
that officer propofed to him, he always anfwered
with an air of haughtinefs, rhis is not the King^s
mentton ; he certainly did not take the proper
fteps to interefl a man in his undertaking, whofe
afTiftance he wanted to make it fucceed. Every
one accordingly began to judge difadvantage-
oully of an expedition, the chiefs Ox" which fcem»
ed to adl by very different principles j and time
has unhappily confirmed it.

The 2Sth of December 1684, the fquadron
difcovered the continent of Florida ; and M. de
la Salle 'aving heard much about the current
that let in to the eaflward in the Mexican g.:lph,
he made no doubt but that the mouth of the
MiJJt/ippi was :^ir to the weft ; an error that was
the caufe of all his misfortunes. Accordingly
he bore aw?y weftward ; but he advanced very
little, bccaufe he went near the Ihore from time

* Among thcfe were three priefts of St. Sulpitius, one of
them M. ^/ la Salle*, brother, ChJi<ville his relation, and
Myulu, befides four recolleas, who were to eftabHOi the
miinons nmong the Indians. There were likewife two of
his nephews, Moratigct and Ca^tlicr fourteen years of age.

LOUISIANA.

to time, and failed along the coad, to try whe-
ther he could not difcover what he fought for.

The 2d of January 1685, the fquadron was,
according to conjefture, pretty near the mouth
of the MJifippi', and on the loth they pafled
by it, without perceiving it. M. de la Salle, be-
ing perfuaded that the fquadron was but juft op-
pofite the Appalachian mountains, continued his
voyage without fending his long-boat on Ihore.

It is faid, that people fliewed him the mouth
of the river, and that he would not fo much as
take the trouble of getting a certainty, becaufe
he had taken it into his head, that it could not
be the place which was pointed out to him.
His obftinacy could not be conquered nor jufti-
fied.

He certainly did not know, or did not think
of it, that the greateft men in the world have
often been, in part, indebted for their greateft
fuccefs to people of inferior merit ; and that
thofc arc the wifeft, who profit by the advice
and underftanding even of thofc ihat arc Icfs en-
dowed than they thcmfclves.

Some time after, upon fome hints which th^
Indians on the coaft gave him, he wanted to re-
turn ;

74- *r li A V E L S TiiRO-UGft

turn J but M. de Beaujeu refufed to do him thatf
favour. They puriucd the fame courfe j and
the fquadron, in a few days, came to St. Ber-
nard's bay, without knowing it. This bay is
one hundred leagues to the weftward of the
mouth of the Mi/Jiftppi; they caft anchor there,
and fcnt the boats upon difcovery, in order to
try to get knowledge of the place they were in.
They found a very fine river, with a bar at the
mouth of it, wliere there is not above ten or
twelve feet water. This difcovery was made af-
ter many times failing backwards and forwards,
and after feveral meetings of the council, in
which nothing was concluded, becaufc whenever
one propoicd any thing, the other was fure to
oppofe it.

M. de la Salle, who believed he was near tht
MiJJlftppi, and whom M. de Beaujeu's prefence
conitrained more than it did him any fervice,
refolved to land all his people in that place.
Having taken this relblution, on the 20th of
February he fent orders to the commander of i\z
fliip La Flute .0 land the heavielt goods, . nd t<y
go up into the river. He intended to I ,:;.;-
fent at the execution of his orders •, bur ^hc
Marquis de la Sahlonnierc, and five nr Hx French-
men, having been taken by the IirV; . a: they
walked in the woods, he haftenx-d to frpc -^hem.

LOUISIANA. j^

He was not yet far from the fhon when, caft-
ing his eye towards the bay, he faw the Flute
manoeuvring in fuch a manner as 1:0 beatagainft
a^he rocks ; his bad luck, fays Joutel in his re-
lation, prevented his returning to avoid that
misfortune. He continued his journey towards
the Indian village, where his people had been
carried to j and when he came there, he I card a
cannon fired. He took this as a fignal to give
him notice, that the Flute was loft j and his
conjedlurc proved true.

Thofe who were witnefles to this accident
plainly took it to be the effcd of a premeditated
defign of M. de St. Aigron, who commanded
that veflel. This lofs had many difagreeable
confequcnces, as it contained the ammunition
iitenfils, tools, and in general all that is neccf-
fary to a new fettlement. M. de la Salle haften-
cd to the place wi.ere he fhip was loft, and
found every body in a total '.nadlion. He beg-
ged M. de Buwjcu t(> lend him his boat and ca-
noe, which he obtainea veiy cafiiy.

He began With niv:;,- die cre^^; next he got
the powder and flower, afterwards the wine and
brandy ; lie brought c . .hore about thirty bar-
rels : had the boat of the Flute been able to

amft

7^ TRAVELS through

affift that of the Ihip Le Joli, almoft every thing
would have been laved ; but that was funk on
purpofe, and the night being come, they were
obliged to defer the unlading till the next morn»
ing. Some hours being paft, the wind, which
came from the fca, grew more violent, and
the waves Increafcd ; the Flute beating againft
the rocks burll, and a quantity of goods
fell out through the opening, and were carried
away by the fea. This was only perceived at
break of day ; thirty more barrels of wine and
brandy were faved, together with fome barrels
full of flower, meat, and peafe : all the reft
was loft.

To increafe the misfortune, they were fur-

r^'inded on all fides by Indians j who, notwith-

...' ling the care that was taken .o prevent

.* profiting any thing by the general confu-

fion, took away ftvcral things which had been

prefervcd from the wreck. The theft was

not perceived till they were retired with the

booty. They had left feveral of their canoes on

the fhore, which were feized upon : very weak

reprifals indeed, which coft much more than they

were worth. The Indians came at nigh*" io rake

their canoes*, they furprit'ed thofe who we; . left

to take care of them, and, finding them afleep,

they killed two volunteers, whom M. de la Salle

regretted

LOUISIANA. ^^

regretted very much, and wounded his nephew
and another perfon.

So many misfortunes, one after another, dif-
gulfed fcveral perfons who were upon the expe-
dition ; and, among others, MelT. Doinmaville
and Mignet, two engineers, who were willing
to return to France, to which the difcourfes of
M. de la Salle's enemies contributed greatly • for
they never ceafed to cry down his condud, 'and
tax his projea as a filly and rafh undertaking.
He, on the contrary, never fiiewed more refolu-
tion and firmnefs ; he conftrudted a warehoufe
furrounded with good intrenchments ; and tak-
ing it into his head, that the river, in which he
was, might poffibly be one of the branches of the
Miliyippi, he prepared to go up in it.

They immediately began ereding a fort; as
foon as the work was fomewhat advanced, M. de
la Salle gave Joutel orders to finifh it, left him
the command of it, and about one hundred
men : he took the reft of his people, about
fixty in all, with himfelf, and embarked en the
nver, with the refolution of going up as high
as he could. Jcutd ftayed but a Ihort time afrer
him in the fort which had been begun ; every
night tne favages were roving in the neighbour-
hood J the French defended themfclves againft

tiiem.

78 T R A V ]:. L S through

them, but with lofTcs that weakened them.
On the 14th of July, Joutel received an order
from M. de la Salle to join him with all his
people.

Many good flout men had been killed or ta-
ken by the Indians •, others were dead with fa-
tigue, and the number of fick increafed every
day i in a word, nothing coukl be more unhap-
py than M. de la Sailed fituation. He was de-
voured witi} grief i but he difllmulated it pretty
well, by which means his diflinuilation degene-
rated into a morofe obllinacy. As foon as he
faw all his people together, he began in good
earneil to think of making a fettk^ment, and
fortifying it. lie was the engineer of his own
fort, and being always the tiril to put his hand
to work, every body worked as well as he could
to follow his example,

Nothing was wanting but to encourage this
good-will of the people, but M. de la Salle had
not fufficient command of his temper. At the
very time when his people fpent their forces
witii working, and had but jull as much as was
abJoIutely neceflary to live upon, he c«-)uld not
prevail on himlclf to relax his feverity a little,
or alter his inllexiblc temper, which is never
fealbnablc, and lefs lb in a new fcttlemcnt. It

' ■!!r';?'-.-'''?T?! g"' '' i ' - ^ eBy. i s; !

Vr-*^r

L O U I S I A

N A.

W not fufficient to have courage, health, and
watchfiilnefs, to make any undertaking fucceedj
many other talents are requifite. Moderation
patience, and difintereflednefs, are equally ne'
ceffary. It is ufcful to diilimulate now and then
to p event making evil worfc. Gentlenefs is the
belt method which twtxy commander can fol-
low.

M. dt la Salic puninied the leaft faults with an
iinhearcl-of cruelty ; and feldom any word of
comfort came from his mouth to thofe who fuf
fered witli the greateil conftancy. He had of
courfe the misfortune to fee all his people fall
into a ftate of languor and defpondency, which
was more the effeft of defpair, than of excefs of
abogr or fcantinef* of good nouriJhnjent,

Having given his laft order, « his fort, he
xefolved to advance into the country, and begaa

«n,^ch on the uth of January ,687, with
M. de Caveher his brother, Moranget and the

young C«T-rf,^ his nephews, F^iUr Jmjlatm a
Francfcan friar, Joutel, Dulmut, VAnheveaue de
Marnt, a German whofe name was Kms, a fur-
geon named 2.,<W. the pilot r#^, Sag», and
an Indian who was a good huntfman. X men-

tjon them all, becaufe t!,ey fl.all be fpokeofin
^nc icqurl. ■

TRAVELS THROUGH

As they advanced further into the country,
they found it inhabited i and when they were
but forty leagues from the nation of the Cenis^
they heard that there was a Frenchman among
thofe Indians. It was a failor from Lower Bre-
ta}}y\ who had loft himfelf when M. de la Salle
firft came down the MiJJiJippi : this poor wretch
lived among the Cents fmce 1682, having been
adopted by them. He did not hope to fee Eu-
rope again, nothing but chance could procure
him the means of returning thither : Joutel went
to fetch him from amongft thofe Indians. He
only quitted them to be witnefs of a crime.

The 17 th of May, Moranget being on a hunt-
ing party, and having, as it is faid, abufed
with words Duhaut^ HienSy and the furgeon
Lietoty thofe three men rcfolved to get rid of him
as foon as poflible, and to begin with the fcrvant
of M. de la Salle^ and his Indian hunrfman who
was called Nika, who both accompanied Moran-
gety and could have defended him. They com-
municated their dcfign to UJrcheveque and the
pilot ^ejiefy who approved of it, and defired to
take part in the execution. They did not fpeak
of it to the Sieur de Marne, who was with them,
and whom they wifhed to have been able to get
away. The next night, whilft the three unhap-
py vidims whom they would facrificc to their

revenge

fevenge flept very quietly, Lietof gave each of
them feveral blows with the hatchet on the head.
The Indiaii and the fervant died immediately.
Moranget raifcd himfelf fo as to fit upright,
without fpeaking a word ; and the murderers
obliged the Sieur de Marne to difpatch him,
threatening to kill him too if he refufed ; thus,
by making him an accomplice of their 'crime,'
they wanted to fecure themfelves againft his ac-
cufing them*

The firft crime is always followed by uneafii
nefs i the greateft villains find it difficult to con-;
quer it : tlie murderers conceived, that it would
hot be eafy to efcape the jufl: vengeance of M.
de la Salle, urtlefs by pfeventing him j and this
they refolved upon, after deliberating on the
means of efieding it. They thought The fafel!
way to meet him, and furprife all that ac-
companied him, and fo open themfelves a way
for the muider which they intended to perpe^'
trate.

So ftrange a fcfolation could only be inlj^irecl
by that blind d fpair, wliich hurries villains iritd
the abyfs which they dig for themfdves : an un^
expeded incident became favourable to thtm,
and delivered into their hands the prey which

^'"'^•^' G they

'; p

•x TRAVELS TiiRouoH

they fought £ov. A river that feparatcd them
from the camp, and which was confidcrably in-
creafcd lincc they pafTcd it, kept them two days :
r iis retardment, which at firll Iccnicd an ob-
ftacle to their projct't, facilitated the execution
of it. M. tie la Sallc^ wondering that his nephew
did not return, nor either of the two men that
were with him, determined to go and feek them
himfclf. It was remarked, that he was uncafy
when h( was [};oing to fet out, and inquired with
a kind of uncommon concern whether Moranget
had quarrelled witli any one.

He then called Joutd^ and intruded him with
the command of his camp, ordering him to go
his rounds in it from time to time, and to light
fires, that tlic fmoke miglit bring him on his
roatl again, in cafe he (liould lofc his way ; he
likewilc bid him give no body leave to abfcnt
himfclf. He fet out on the 20th, attended by
Fatlier Amjlafms and an Indian. As he ap-
proached to the place where the alfafllns had
ftopt, he faw fome eagles foaring pretty near the
place, and concluded that there was fome car-
rion : he fired his gun •, ami the confpirators,
who had not yet lecn him, guefling that it was
he who was coming, got their arms in readinefs.
The river was between them and him : Duhaut

an4

I- o u i s i A N A.

nnd V/lrcheveqm crofrecl it ; and feeing M. di
ia Salli advancing flowly, they ftopped. Du^
httUt [lid himfelfin the long grafs^ with his gull
cocked, Vy^n/ievequg aiivanced a little niorc ;
and a moment after, M. dcla Sa/k knowin,. 'lim^
afked him where his ncphctV was ? He anfr -red,
that he was lower tlown. At the fame : Ilant
Du/mNf n,,d i M. He la Salle received the f lot in
his head, and fell down dead;

It was the ?.oth of May 1687 thjit thi' rtiirr^
dcr was committed near the Cms. Fatht Ana^
JiaMu feeing M. de la Salle drop down t his
feet, expe£h-d that tlie murderers wouKi not
fparc him, though they Hiould have no other
view in it than to get rid of a witnefs of their
crime. Duhaui came near him to quiet him^
and told him, that what they had done was an
a6l of delpair, and that they had long thought
of revenging themfelves on Moranget^^Uo had
endeavoured to niin them. Father Anajtaftus
informed M. Cavelter of his brother's death; that
gentlemen told them, that if it was their inten-
tion to kill him iikewife, he would forgiN. chem
his death before hand, and he only de.nanded,
as a favour, a (,uarter of an hour to prepare him-
felf for death. They replied, that he had no-
thing to fear, and that nobody complained of him.

^* ^ Joutel

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if,

84 TRAVELS THROUGH

Joutel was not then in x\i?. camp i VArche-
veque, v/ho was his friend, ran to inform him,
that his death was certain if he iliewed any t^
fentment of what had happened, or if he pre-
tended to take advantage of the authority with
which M. de la Salle had inverted him. Joutel^
who was of a very gentle temper, anfwered,
that they fliould be content with his condudt,
and that he believed that they ought to be plea*
fed with the manner in which he had hitherto
behaved j and then he returned to the camp.

As focn as Buhaut faw Joutel^ he called out
to him, that every one Ihould command by
turns. He had already taken all the authority
into his hands ; and the firft ufe he made of it,
was to make h.imfelf mafter of the magazine.
Pie divided it afterwards with UArchevsfiue, fay-
ing, that every thing belonged to him. There
were about thiity thouland iivres worth of goods,
and near twenty- five thoufand Iivres both in
coin and in plate.

The afllimns had force and boldnefs on their
fide J tliey had fliewn themleves capable of the
greatcft crimes, accordingly they met with no
refinance at lirll. They foon divided, and quar-
relled among tliemfelves i they found difficul-
ties

LOUISIANA.

ties in dividing the treafure j they came to blows,
and Hiens fired his piftol at Duhaut's head, who
reeled, and fell four yards from the place where
he ftood. At the fame time Rutel the failor,
whom Joutel fetched from the Cenis, fired a gun
at Lictot. That wretch lived yet feveral hours,
though he had three balls in his body ; fo the
two afTafTms, one of M. de la Salle, and the
other of his nephew Moranget, were themfelves
the vi(51:ims of that fpirit of fury, which they had
inf^ired to this unha]ipy colony.

The Indians knew not what to think of thefe
murderers j they were quite fcandalized by them.
They were in the right, and could with more
reafon treat thofe Frenchmen as barbarians, than
we had to confider them as fuch. Be that as it
will, fucli was the tragic death of Robert Cave^
Her, Sieur de la Salle, a man of abilities, of a
great extent of genius, and of a courage and
firmnefs of mind which might have carried him
to fomething very great, if, vith rhcfe good
qualities, he had known how to get the better of
his fullen, morofe mind, to foften his fcverity, or
rather the roughnefs of his temper, and check
the haughtinels with which he treat.-d not only
thofe who depended entirely upon himfclf, but
even his aflbciates. I'he moft unhappy thing

^ 3 tor

$S TRAVELS THROUGH

for th^ memory of this famous man is, that hf
Jias not been pitied by any body, and that the
bad fuccefs that has attended his undertakings
h^s given him the appearance of an adventurer
among thofe who only judge from appearances.
Unhappily they are commonly the greateft numr
ber, and their voice is, in a manner, the voice of
the people. He has further been reproached witl>
never taking advice from any body, and with ha^
ying ruined his private affajrs bjy his obftinacy ♦.

Thus ended this unlucky undertaking ; many
things confpired to make it abortive : it would
at leaft have had part of the wiihed-for fuccefs,
if a fettlement on the mouth of the Mifllfippi
had been the only thing in view, as many people
thought it was. It is certain, that when M. de
Beaujeu abandoned M. dela Salle in St. Bernard's
Baj/y the latter foon found out, that he was tp

the

* In order todiminifh the villainy of the deed of Duhauf^
it has been fprcad, that M. dt la Salle had killed young
Duhaut with his own hands, and that he had treated feveral
Others in the fame manner ; that it was defpair and revenge
fhat animated the confpirators, who feared to perifli them-
felves by his injuftice and fevcrity. One ought to be {(^
much the more upon one's guard againft fuch calumniating
difcourfes, as it is but too common to increafc the faults ©f
jhe imhappy, and to attribute to them, even thofe which they
|«alJy have not.

'6Bi«i>»«<

LOUISIANA. 87

the weftward of the river he fought for ; if it
had been his intention to find it, he might on
his firft journey to the Cenis have obtained
guides from thofe Indians, becaufe they granted
fome in the fequel to >«/^/* ; JDut he wifhed to
come near the Spaniards, in order to take cog-
nizance of the mines of St, Barbaray and to feek
likewife a Dorado. By endeavouring to do too
much, he net only did nothing at all, but made
all his people perifli, and perifhed himfelf, and
was pitied by nobody.

•

Before I conclude this letter, let me add fome
refleduns on the folly of men.

The avidity of the Spanifh captains muft have
been very great, as it engaged them to feek for
an imaginary Dorado or mountain of gold, whilft
the whole country they were in abounded in ail

G ^- parts

» The Sieur Joutel found the MiJJtfippi by means of the
Indians, who brought him to the Manzas, and from thence
into Canada^ ; where he arrived, accompanied by one prieft,
a Recollet friar, a foldi°r, a failor, a colonift, and an In-
dian, who compofed a ftrange fort of caravan. They were
all that returned from this expedition. The remains of this
unhappy colony perifhed either through the Indians or
through the Spaniards, who took them prifoncrs, and fet
them St work in their mines,

§8 TRAVELS through

parts with that metal. This is a proof, that all
the treafures in the world are incapable of fatisfy-
ing man, as foon as avidity has once gained the.
empire ir^ his heart.

The Spaniards were not contented with the
riches of Peru •, they mull ftill go to difcover a
Dora(Ic, that is, a country where the rocks and
ftones are all of gold. The Indians, in ordep
tp fatter the avidity of their enemies, and at
the fame time to get them out of their country,
never ceafed amufmg them with accounts of the
gold, filver, diamonds, and pearls with which
that country abounded. Their defire of getting
rid of their unwelcome guefts, induced them to
fpare nothing towards perfuading them of the
exiflence of this pretended country. The Spa-
niards believed thefe accounts, in which they
were inierelted j and this is laid to be the origin
of the famous Dorado, which has made fo muc!>
noife in the orld.

The report was current, that, after palling a
long chain of mountains covered with fnow, one
entered upon a vaft plain exceedingly well peo-
pled, in which was the Dorado that every one
Y^ijhed to dilcpvei .

^efadoy

LOUISIANA.

^ejada, with two hundred and fifty brave
foldiers, fet out immediately in fearch of it. On
Sl James's day they perceived, from the top of
a mountain, feme vafl plains which refembled
a lea ; and when they were defccnded to the
foot of the mountain, they built there a town,
and called it San-Tap, in remembrance of the
day on which they difcovered the plain ; they
likewife furnamed it Las Atabyas *, in order to
point out the defign of their journey, which was
to difcover the Dorado. This town exifts (till
in the place, which is marked in the maps as a
monument which feems to engage pofterity to
00 out upon the dilcovery of this unknown
treafure. ^efada pafTed through the woods of
Ayrico with exceffive trouble, and arrived at 7V-
mana in 1543, having loll almoft all his people.

Orellana undertook the fame voyage in that
year ; he fet out from Peru, defcended the ri-
ver Maragnon or of the Amazons, came to the
coaflr, and neglefted nothing towards arriving
at the mountain of gold ; but all his pains were
iifelefs, and he gained no more honour by the

under-

* Atalayar fignifics to difcover, or to fpy, in Spanifli :
A(alaya, z tower or fort from whence one difcovers : Lat
Atalayas is the plural.

^O TRAVELS THROUGH

undertaking than that of having completed one
of the moft horrible voyages that ever were
heard of. About the fame time Philip de Ure^
fearing that ^lefada would profit alone by this
difcovery, fet out from Coro in the province of
Venezuela, together with Jquito, the Lieutenant
Felalcazar, and one hundred and twenty men j
but a Cacique having told him, that moft of the
people of ^efada had pcrifhed in the undertak-
ing, he went to the fouthward along the river
Guabari, and flopped, as Father Simon and Fa-
ther Piedrahata aflure us, at the firft fettlement
of Omaguas, in a very bad plight. But what
will not men undertake for the fake of gold I
j^uri facra fames, quid non mortalia peSiora cq-
gis * ?

But to what purpofe is all this philofophy.-—
The ftay which I intend to make here, will en-?
jable me to fend you a new letter on the fubjed
of the moft interefting particulars of the politics
and form of government of the nations who in-
habit this country. I am,

S I R, &c,

j4t the Akanxas,

05f, 29. 1751.

'■ Here follows a dull quotation from a Spanifli anther up-
on this fubjeift, whi^h we thought proper to omit. F,

II >i

LOUISIANA,

9«

J. E T T E R

fo the fame.

Pefcription of the Manners of the Nation of Akan*
zas, their Religion and Manner of carrying oh
War-, thi Goodnefs and Fertility of their Country,

S I R,

2]^^2 ^°P^ ^^^ defcription I fhall give of

/•M ^ JAM 1*V«a ■

^ ^ this Indian nation, by drawing your
k^^jj^ attention upon their particular characr
ter, will convey a general idea of all the nations
of North America. Thete is indeed very little
difference among them, in regard to their cu-
ftoms and their way of thinking, and efpecially
in regard to a Supreme Being, which in their
language they call Coyocopchill, which fignifie*
ih?SX^(ii Spirit^ or the Majier of life.

'9^

TRAVELS THROUGH

The Akanzas live on the banks of a river that
bears their nan^.e ; it arifes in New Mexico^ and
falls into the MiJJiJippi. Thefe Indians are tall,
well made, brave, good fwimmers, very expert
in hunting and fifhing, and entirely devoted to
the French, of which they have given marks on
feveral occafions.

I fpoke, in my preceding letter, of an old
man of this nation, who laid he had leen M. de
ia Salle. This good Indian added, that frcrn
that time he conceived a very great efteem
for the French-, that they were the firft na-
tion of white men he had feen, and fmce that
time he had always recommended it to his na-
tion, whofe chief he was, never to receive any
other European allies than the French, who
■were immediately received at his requeft: in
reality thefe people never would have any thing
to do with the conjuration of the general maf-
facre of the F>ench colony at the Natches. I
muft do thefe good Indians 'that juftice •, they
are always at war with the Tchicachas (Chick-
faws) who gave the Natckes a retreat.

The country of the Akanzas is one of the
fined in the world -, the foil of it is fo fertile,
that it produces, without any culture, European

wheat,

JL O U I 6 I A N A.

wheat, all kinds of food, and good fruit, un-
known in France -, game of alb kinds is plenti-
ful there ; wild oxen *, (tags, roebucks, bears,

tygers.

* The here enumeratv d animals, we intend to make bet-
ter known, by adding the names in Dr. Linnzeus Syft. Nat.
and Mr. Pennant's Syn. of Qjiadr. or his Britilh Zoology.

1. Wild Oxen. Bos Bifon, Linn. American o;f,
Penn. Sjn. ^ad, 8.

2. Stags. Cervus Elaphus, Linn. Stag deer, ?em,
Syn. ^ad. 49.

3. Roebucks. As it is dubious whether this fpecles is
in North Americat this is probably the Dama Virginians,
Ray. Syn. 'i>uad. 86, j or Virginian deer, Pcnn. Syn. '"
drup. 51.

4. Bears. Urfus Ardlos, Linn. Black hear, a
Syn. ^ad. 150.

5. TycpRs. There are no true tygers in all the new
continent, and what is called thus mult be the Cugacurana
of Marcgravc, andR^. Syn. ^ad. i6g. or Brown cat, Penn.
Syn. i^ad. 1 79.

6. Leopards. Fells Pardus, Linn. Panther, Penn.
Syn. ^ad, p. iji. note. Mr. Pennant has proved, from
very good authorities, that this fpecies is found ia America",
contrary to what M. de Buffon fays; who, though a; very
great naturaliil:, by far fupeiior to many who make free

with

^4 TRAVELS THfeot-oH

tygers, leopards, foxes, wild cats, rabbets, tur-
kies, grous, pheafants, partridges, quails^
turtles, wood-pigeons, fwans, gcef, buftards,

ducks

with him, is however a man who never departs from an opi-
nion which he once h«s embraced, and which he will carry
by his eloquence in fpite of the moil creditable authorities tO
th? contrary.

7. Foxes. Canis Vulpes, LittH. Fox, Penn* Sy»,
^O/^. 152. wllh all its yar;w.ies, the crofs fox, the black
fox, and the bfsind fox.

8. WjLp Cats. Felis filvcftris tigrina, Griffon, ^adt
193. Cayenne Cft, Penn. Sjn. Sluad* lii,

9. Rabbets. There were originally no rabbets m Ame-
rica, but th«y were imported by the Spaniards, and are now'
greatly incret.fcd ; whether thefe, here called rabbets, on
the river Mijjyippit are the true rabbets, or whether the/
are that kind of hare which is peculiar to North Amen-*
ca, cannot be decided. The North American hare feems to
be the Alpine hare, Penn. Syn* ^aJ. 249 ; it is lefs in
fizetban the European common hare, and a medium between
hare and rabbet, according to Kalm'? North Amer, Lp< 1054

10. TuRKiES. Meleagris Gallopjivo, Linn, Lc dindon^
fltanktt tttlumiititSy 97 <

11,. Grous. There are about fcvcp diif(?reiit kind* of
poMi in. NerUi Amerce*

L O U I S I A N

ducks of all kinds, reals, divers, fnipes, wa-
ter-hens, golden plovers, flares, tiiruflies, and
other birds which are not known in Europe.

(«) Tetrao Phafianellus, Linn, The long-tailed grous, Edr

ivardy 117.

(^) -Canadenfis, Linn, Tlie fpotted grous, Ediv.jj,

(f) Lagopus, Linn. The white grous, Ed'w. ft,

PL enl. 129.

\d) Cupido, Linn. The pinnated grous, Ctf/.IH.i.

f L Umbellus, Linn. The rutted grous, Ed-w. 248. '

\f) Canace, Linn, The Itriated grous, ?l: enl. 131.

&13«. BriSl. 203. t. 20. f. 1.2,
Kg) Togatus, Linn. The ihoulder-knot grous, PI,

enl. 104. BrlJjT. I. 207. t. 221. f. i.

Which of thefe are found fo far fouth as Louiftana .nnot be
ae:^rminefl.

»
^ 12. Phsasants. This is fo vague a denomination, that
itisnexttoimpoffible to find out which kind ofpheafant
the author means ; for there is but one ^-r.eafant in America,
in Cayenne, and Guiana, and therefore it is dubious whether
this bird is found fo far north ^.Louiftana: I am therefore
mclmed to believe, the autlior meant the long.,aikd grous,
which bears . great f.milarity to ->. pheafant, and is found a,
far as Vtrgmia, which is not above three or four degrees
-more north than the Akanzas,

13. P

ARTRXDGEs. This feems to be the American nar-

f^ ^M TfT _ _ fw^ *

tridge, Cat.Wl. ,2. Tetrao Virginianus, Linn.

H- Quails.

TRAVELS THROUGH

On my arrival at the Akanzas, the young
wari-jrs received me with the dance of the ca*
lumet. It is neceflary that I fliould inform you,

that

;: a:... ^.

14. Quails. Tetrao Mexicanus, Linn. Loufiana quail,
t'l. enl. 149.

15; Turtles. Columba Canadenfis, Linn. Ganadi
turtle, PI. enl. 176.

16. WoOD-piGEONS. Columba migratoria, i/«». Mi*
gratory pigeon. Kalm., II. p. 82. t. z. Columba Caroli-
nenfis, Linn. Caroline pigeon, Cat. I. 24.

17. Swans. Anas Cygnus, Linn. Br. ZocL p. ^^o. Eti-
'ward 150*

18. Geese. Anas Anftr, Linn. Wildgoofc, Br.Zool.^j^js
Anas crythropus, Linn. WhiLc fronted goofe, Br. Zoo/. 450.
EJw. 153. Anas Canadenfis, Linn. Canada goofe, £"</w»
151 PI. enl. 3464

19. Bustards, Otis T.nrda, Linn. ^ his is the (irft
time that I find a buftard mentioned among the American
birds. As they are not uncommon in France, I am inclined
to think the author's account to be true ; and as he has al-
ready meiiticncd the turkics before, it i:j not likely that hi
fliould confound the buftr.rd and turkey,

20. Ducks of all kinds. There arc at leaft twenty kinds
of ducks known to be in America. Vid. ForJhr*s Catalogui
tff North American animals, p. 16. 17.

«i. Teals*

LOUISIANA. 97

that dancing etitefs into all forts of tranfadions
wi^h thefe narions j they have religious, phyfical,
merry, ceremonious, warlike, pacific, nuptial,
. funeral, playful, hunting, and lewd dances :
the laft is aboiifhed fince our arrival in America*

The dance of impudicity was performed pri^
vately and in night-timci by the light of a great
fire. All that entered into the lafcivious affem-

bly.

21. Teals. I fuppofe the author means b^ teals thfc
hirer kinds of ducks, as the harlequin, pied, brown, white-
faced, ' lue-wing. ^f. and commoh teal.

«2. Divers are of four kinds in North America. Vid
F6tfter's Cat. N. Jmer. i6.

23. Snipes, there are llkewife feveral birds of th's
kind in North America ; fo that witliout a more detailed dc-
nomination, it is impofTiblc to determine the fpecics.

24- Water-hens. Of this kind is the Rallus Caroll-
nenfis, Linn, the Carolina rail, and the common water-
hm, or Fulica chloropuj, Lim. in N. Amcr.

45. Golden plovers. Charadrius apricarius. Z«m
EJ-iv. 140.

^a6. Stares. Sturnus Ludovicianus, Linn. Pl.tnl. tcS
Brif.lL 449. t.4.. f. I. Caul. ,3. This bird has mif-
kakenly appeared in the books of the modern ornithologift,

under

^n ' TRAVELS THRauGH

bly were obliged to Jirike againfi the poft *, that
is, to fwcar that they never would reveal what
they had feen or done in this diflblutc ball: the
dancers of both fexes appeared quice naked
there, in attitudes and gefturcs of proftitution,
accompanied with fongs of the fame kind, which
you muft excufe my tranfcribing, though, in the
language of the Indians, they arc purely pieces
of genteel wit.

The Akanzas have expert fellows among
them, who would perhaps amaze our jugglers.

I faw

under two names : Brlffon calls it, in II. 242. an American
ouzel ; and II. 449. he represents it as a Louifiana ftarc.
Linnauj makes likewife two birds of it ; he calls it a lark,
p. 289. Alauda magna, and p. 290. a ftare, Sturnus Lu-
dovi^ianiis ; but, upon comparifon, it may be eafily deter-
mined, that both are but a ftare, and that it ought to be
erafed from among the Larks and Ouzels.

If. TtittrsHBs. There are at Icaft fcvtfn hi orih American
thrufhes, which of them are upon the river i!//^/>/i cannot
hz determined for want of information, F.

" Whenever the Indians fwear or talrr oaths, they take .1
club with which they llrike againll a pplt, calling to mind
their fine aaions in war, and promifing to keep their word
religioufly : an oath of this nature is irrevocable among them:
every Cacique fwears to lead his nation well, and ftrikes the
poll ; without taking that oath, he cannot be inftalietlin ih»
dignity.

L O t^ 1; Si t A N A 9^9

Iftwohe of them, who, in my prefence, j|Def-
formed. a trick which will appeaf incredible t9
you ; aftei' fome wry mouths, he fwallowed «
rib of a ftag fcvcntecrt inches long, held it with
his finger^i and drew it out of his ftomath again.
He went to New Orleans- to fliew his agilitf tj3
the governor and the officers of the garrifon j
tWs the Indians call ading the phyfician*

The AkaHzas declare war with the following
ceremonies. They make a feaft in the hut of
the chief, where dog's flelh is fcrved up, which
is the principal food of warriors j becaufc they
fay, that a creature which is fo brave as to be
killed in the defence of his mafter, mu(t give them
valour. He that kills one of the enemy's dogs
Is likewife received as a warrior ; but he muft
bring the fcalp of the dog, that is, the fkin from
the head, as if it were the fcalp of a man, with-
out which the others woukl not believe him.
The Indians have dogs in great numbers, both
for hunting, and to fecurc them from being fur^
prifcd by the enemies.

After the fca.. of which I have fpokert, the
great chief calls together an aflcmWy of war-
riorSk

Thf

ibo TRAVELS 'through

'. ; The aflembly is held in the middle of the vil-
lage, in a great hut made on purpofe, which
they call the hut of the council. The chief
and moll corvfiderable men place themfelves, ac-
cording to their refpcdive ranks, on mats or on
tyger-fkins. When they are all feated, the
chief or orator puts himfelf into the midft of the
afTembly, and holds his fpeech with a loud
voice : he reprefents to his nation, that it would
be a Ihame for them not to revenge the affront
they received from fuch or fuch a nation -, that
if they did take them to account for it, they
would for the future be looked upon as wo-
men *. At that inllant all the aflembly ap-
plauds, by faying, Heu ! heu ! The chief then
takes a bundle of rods, and prefents it to tnc
aflembly -, all that are defirous of going to war
take one of the rods, and by this means tbey are
enlifl:ed.

The next morning the women run tlirough
the village, crying, " Young men and warriors,
" who received the rods, fet out, go to war, re-
" venge the deaths of our relations, allies, and

" friends ;

* When an Indian is called a ivcman or an elJ afflA»fl«, it
it an affront* which flgnifiei a man without ccirage, a
coward.

LOUISIANA.

lOI

** friends ; and do not return till you are ftained
" with the blood of our enemies, and bring with
" you their fcalps *."

Then a young Indian takes the trouble to
paint red a club, which they call a head-breaker ;
this club is brought upon the limits of the ene-
mies country j there they cut a piece out of a
tree, and with vermilion they draw on it two ar-
rows acrofs each other, which is their fymbol of
war : the red colour fignifies, that the nation
defires revenge, and will not be fatisfied till it
has Ihed the blood of their enemies.

Before they fet out, the chief of the nation
calls another aflembly, which is generally fol-
lowed by a feaft, to which he invites his allies.
The chief prefents the confederates with rods,
to engage them to march with them as auxiliary
troops. At the end of the repaft they fmg and

H 3 dance

* The Indians are ufcd to pluck the (kins from their ene-
mies heads whom they kill in battle ; they count the num-
ber of the Hain by thefe fcalps, which they bring home like
trophies on poles. We generally give them, in good?, for
the King's account, the val'icof ten crowns (ecus) for each
ijcalp of oar enemies.

10^ ?r B. ' A V E LS THROUGH

dance the dance of war^. AH the young rrten
jirc.paiptpH red i it is really curious'tofee threrh
dance. He that exprefles 'by dance the difco^
very or the furprifc, watche$ his enemy, keep-
jjig |n'^ (looping pofture i all at'tjhc* he ^lls
upon him, his cliib in hand, itii^king horriWe
tJrii^s, i& is dotie in a real a6^ibn, His cbmrade
iirops as if he were thundcFftrufek, (liffenihg all
hi3 mufcles as an epileptic j jfftier which 'th'e
*ibthcr reprefents, dancing, the m^thod^ of fcalping
the dead enemy ., this is done with a knife which
he has in his hand, he makes an irtdifion on the
forehead, and round the neck of ^hisenet^Vy; "he
places his long nails therein, he puts both his
-knees againft the fhoulders of the dptive, and
^ith afudden pulli with his knees andpullwith
his liands, he takes Up the fkin with the hair on
•it, from the head. All this is reprefented it>
fmging and dancing to the tqne of a drum and

■ a chi-

» The fong of war is conceived in the following terms :
»' I go to war to avenge the death of my brothers ; I fhaljl
'* kill, I fhall exterminate, I fhall plunder, I fhall burn my
** oneraies : I fliall bring away flaves, I fhall devoir thej;:
''heart, dry (heir fiefli, drink their blood; I (hall bring
ff their jlpalps, and make cups of their foulls ;^' and more
fuch c.vprcffions, which ere full of cruelty, and (hev/ a
after revenge and flaughtcf.

LOUISIANA.

[03

a chichikoii *, which marks the time and the ca-
dence.

The Indians never go to war without ccnfult-
ing their Manitou f , to whom they attribute all
their good or bad kjck. If the Manitou has not
been favourable to them, they quit him without
any ceremony, and take another. The chfcf,
before he goes to war, undergoes a very rigid
failing, and paints his body black during that
time After the faft, he waflies himfelf, and
paints his body and his face red. He harangues
his warriors before the falfe deity, after which
every one prepares his baggage. Sometimes
they go to war four or ftve hundred leagues from
their own country.

Their baggage, in time of war, confifts of a
bear's (kin, which ferves as a bed j a wild ox's
Ikin, with which they cover themfelves ; a ty-
ger-cat*s fkiii, which ferves as a fack to put the
calumet or tobacco-pipe in ; a head-breaker or

H 4 club ;

'■^ This is a gourd in which they put a kind of Uttle beads,
they likewife fallen fuch beads to their feet.

t Falfe Indian deity ; fometimes a dried raven or a fiiake;
they likewife employ for that purpofc amphibious crcatuw
and quadrupeds.

)[04

TRAVELS THROUGH

club ; and a little hatchet, which they make ufe
of in order to make huts in the woods. '-'■*

Their arms confiil of a gun or mufket, the
horn of an ox to put the gpn-powder in, which
they haug round the body with a ftring, toge-
ther with a little bag in which they put their
bills, the flinx, and a fcrew j befidcs this, a bow
. and a quiver full of arrows ; the latter are very
ufeful for hunting. They never employ their
fire-arms at any animals, when they are upon any
expedition againft their enemies, left the noife
might ferv? to difcover them. They agree
amongft themfelves upon the method of furpri-
ling their enemies; for the Indians place all
their glory in the knowledge of this kind of war,
which is generally fatal to thofe who are the ob-
jed of it.

They take very little care with regard to vic-
tuals i every one has a little bag of flour of In-
dian corn or rjiaize, roafted as we dp coiFce,
and when he is hungry he takes a fpoonfui of
water in which fome of this flour or meal is
diluted, which he keeps till they are very near
the enemy.

Though

LOUISIANA. 105

TJwugh tke Indians are fometimes three or
/our days without eating, they are not ill at all
from it, but continue their road as before: they
^ontraft their girdle round their belly, . in pro- .
|)ortion as it grows more empty, and diminifhes
in fize J ifi a wprd, they are indefatigable.

^ When the Indians have made a ftroke at the
^nemy, as they term it, fome young warriors
immediately fet o.ut, to bring the news of the
yiaory to the village.: They make their arrival
known, by fome cries, wluch mark the niimber
of prifoners, that of the dead, and that of the
fcalps which they bring with them. The wo-^
men prepare .to receive the prifoners, and to
give them a hearty drubbing with fticks. They
have likewife a rigli.t to decide who of the cap-
tives Ihall die, for they are brought. before them
with their hands tied, and painted black*
Thofe wo«ien who have Ipft their huibgnds, or
fons, are at liberty.to tak? captives tp replace
..them. They can adopt them as hufbands or as
fons, and they are then immediately fet free.

Thofe who are not adopted muft be burnt ^t
a How fire ; to that purpofe thejr head is fcalp-
_. ^^ ed,

« Thofe who are thus painted are to be .burnt in the midft
;0f the village, unlcfs tlie women adopt them.

jo5 TRAVELS through

ed, and they are faftencd to two pofts whicn

are driven into the ground, with a piece of wood

lying acrofs them*; then ail the young people

^xcrcife their fury upon them, and they endure

«he greateft torments without complaining ; on

the contrary, they fing till they expire, faying

that they are true men, and that they fear nei-

tther fire nor death; they laugh at cheir tor-

imentors, and tell them that ihey do not make

tthem fuiFer enough i that if they were in- ^heir

ihands they would plague them much worfo;

Tthat the fire muft be applied to fuch and fuch

^rts, and that they are there the moft fenlible

^-to'pain. It is to be 'remarked, that when they

cdifpoie themfelves to maroh againft their ene*

^lnie«, theyt^te care to paint mheir bodies red ;

-fo that, when ^they attack the enemy, with fuch

rhowls &s if they were bew^itched, they really

-look llikea troqp of devils let loofe from hell f,

'They are g©od towards their friends, but very

.<?rw0l towatds their enemies,

. As
» , 1 1 ■ I I I I 1 I I 1 1 III

* The captives are objiged to fing and dance round thefc
-•pofts.

f The Indians in general, both men 'and women, have
'no hair on their bodies, . befidef thofe on the head ; they
riiiy, thatia.tiiis;particular we refemble. the beafts, -apd they
fay the fame when.th^y fee us-eat .herbs and fallad.

L O U I iS I A N A. 107

As to religion, they ^believe the cxillence of a
jgredt Spirit, whom they adone under the form
oi z ferpent or a crocodile; :they gi(vc him a
kind of divine I'ervice. They <fear tlie devil,
whona they call a ibad Ipirit. They likewifc
ftdore the ifun and :moon. When it .thunders,
|hey umagine that ithe Lordnf /e/'i? fpeaks.tOithem
in an angry tone.

I muft not clofe my letter without linforming
you of a Angular euent, which, though of very
little iniportance, may howtver be very uieful
to me, during :my (lay in Jmerita. The Akan-
«aj have adapted mfc.; they -have acknowledged
me as a \7arrior and a chittf, and have given mc
the -mark of it, which is the figure of a roe^
buck imprinted on my :th%h. I have willingly
'undergone this :painful operation, which was
^performed in the following manner : I was feat-
fid on a tyger's Ikin i an Indian burnt fome
ftraw, the allies of which hediluted with water:
*e made ufe of this fimple mixture to draw the
roe-buck i he then followed the drawing with
great needles, pricking them deep into the flelh,
till the blood comes out; this blood mixing
mih the afhes of the ftraw, forms a figure which
.can never be effaced. I fmoked the calumet af-
m that; they fpread white fldns under my feet.

jo8 TRAVELS through

on which I walked ; they danced before me cry-
ing out for joy ; they told me afterwards, that I
could go to all thp people v/ho were their allies,
prefent the calumet, and Ihew my mark, and I
would be well received ; that I was their bro-
ther, and that if any one killed me, they would
kill him ♦, now I am^ a noble Akanza. Thefe
people think they have done me all the honour
due to a defender of thei' country, by thus
adopting me : and I regard this honour almofl
like that which the MarJJial de Richelieu received,
when his name was inicribed in :he golden book
at Genoa among the noMe Gcnoefe. It is true,
.there is feme difference between an infcription
and the operation I have undergone j I cannot
cxprefs it to you how much I have fuffcred by
it ; I did all I could to prevent Ihewing how
much 1 was affeded 5 on the contrary, I joked
-with the Indian v/omen that were prefent ; and
all the fpeffcato.rs, amazed at my infenfibility,
.cried out for joy, and danced round about me,
faying, I was a true man- - The pain has been
very violent, %nd. I have had the fever from it
for a weeV. ^oc'-etiier, Yoa cannoj: believe how
fond the Jikanzas are of me fince that time.
This is all I had to fay upon this fubjeft : feme
lime this month we intend to continue our jur-
^ey to the Illinois, As the feafon is much ad-
. yanced,

L O U I S I A N A»

109

vanced, and we have yet three hundred leagues
to go, we run the rifk of being flopped by the
ice, and of wintering on the road. We have
been obliged to ftop here for preparing the bif-
cuit neceflary for fo long a voyage ; for in this
fcafon we muft combat both the current and the
noith wind. According to all appearances, I
fhall not be able to write before next year. This
letter fets out by a boat, which will arrive in time
before the departure of a man of war for France,
where I hope my letter will find you in good
health. I beg you would let me hear from you ;
for I affure you, you can do me no greater
pleafure.

I am, &c.

At the Jkanzas, the 6th
jf November 1751.

-P. S, I found a Meftizo Indian among the
Akanzas j and, upon queftioning him concern-
ing his origin, I heard that he was the fon of
Rutel, that failor from Bretany who lolt himfelf,
when M. de la Salle came down the MJ/iftppi in
i682, and of whom I have had the honour of
fpeaking before.

This

no X R A V E IL S. THRouoa

'This demi-lTidian) added^ thut- Ruislhh hthcr
was found' by the Onis^ an Indian nation^ -who
adopted him i he received one of their girls as
hii wife, in the quality of a warrior -, becaufc,
having made ufe of his mufket in a battle againft
fome enemies of the Cents, the explonon of that
weapoHi which wasc as yet unknown to them,
frightened them, and put them to flight*

This Rutel having afterwards taught -the In-
dians the method of going with oars and faik i.i
their canoes and piraguas, he enabled them to
defeat a little fleet of their enemies •, this man-
ner^ of navigating being til! then unknown to
the nation, and drew their gratitude and vene-
ration upon him •, they revered him as the great-
eft man in the world j and the famous Ruiter,
who, from a common Tailor, became Lieutenant
and Admiral of the United Pjovinces, was per-
haps lefs re,7ered than Rutel was among the Cenii.

LET.

LOUISIANA. Ill

LETTER Vt.

To the fame.

An Account of the Author's Navigation from the A-
kanzas to the Illinois. The King's Boat St,
Louis, on which the Author was, is overfet-, he
falls into thf Miffifippi, and an Akanza faves
his Ufe.

S I R,

KX^^ AM now, thank God, arrived at Fort
j^ I ^ Chartres, after running many rifks on
Sjt?^j({ this long and troublefome voyage.
We fet out from the Akanzas the 7th of Novem-
ber, on our voyage hither. We have gone
three hundred leagues without meeting with any
village or habitation. As this extent of country
is abfolutely uninhabited, there are happily great
flocks of wild oxen, ftags, and roe-bucks, to be
met with, efpecially in this fcafon when the wn-

tcrs

Ill TRAVELS THiioucH

ters are low. Thefe animals are obliged to come'
in flocks to the river to drink, we often killed,
them as they crofled it, and likewife fome bears
were thus got. The Akanzn Indians generally
come to hire themfelves to the French, in ordef
to make them fubfift by hunting upon the road.
Thele hunters fet out in the morning in pira-
guas •, they kill the oxen which they meet on
the banks of the river, and the boats that fol-
low after them take on board the meat, whicli
lies ready for them on the fliore.

The Indians take care to keep the tongue,
and the flefli from the back of the animals which
they have killed, and to prcfent thefe bits to
the commander and officers of the convoy •, af-
ter which a ferjeant or a corporal diftributes the
flelh to the foldiers in each boat : the pleafure of
hunting amply repays for the fatigues of the
voyage. Tiie game is fo common in the neigh^
bourhood of the river St. Francois *, that, whei\
we went on Ihore in thofe parts, it was impolTible
to flecp, on account of the multitudes of iwans,
cranes, geefe, buftards, and ducks, that were
continually going up and down in thefe watery
placfs. On approaching the country of the

Illinois^

I I-

* This tiver conci from the country of the lluutmiy.

LOUISIANA. 113

Illinois, you fee, in the day-time, whole clouds of
turtle-doves or Wood-pigeons. A circumflance
that will perhaps be incredible, is, that they
often cclipfe the fun -, thefe birds, living mere-
ly upon acorns and the feeds of beech-trees, in
the woods, are excellent in autumn ; fcmetimes
eighty of them are killed at one Ihot. What a
pity that fo fine a country is not inhabited, or is
only inhabited by brutes !

M. de Macarty, an Irifhman, and comman-
der of the convoy, having had fome fits of the
gout, and fearing to be obliged to winter on the
road, refolved to go before the reft, when we
were at the jundurc of the Ohio with the Mifft-
ftppK thirty leagues from the Illinois, He took
the beft rowers out of all the boats, and put
them on board his boat, and, without troubling
himfelf about the others, he left them behind,
contrary to M. de Faudreuin injundtions j how-
ever, the law of nature didates to every body the
order of aflifting others mutually, in cafe of an
attack from an enemy, or fome other accident,
fuch as happened to the boat St. Louis, on board
of which 1 was. It got upon a fand-bank, and
they were obliged to unload it almoft entirely
before they could fet it a-floa; again, which made

^^^* ^- I mi.

• me

.114 TRAVELS THROUGH

me lofe two d^ys, and prevented my joining the
convoy again.

To increafe my misfortunes, when I was but
iburtecn leagues from the Illinois, my boat, three
days after it was ftranded, ran againft a tree, of
which the Mi^iftppi is full, and efpccially in tin-^e
pf low water ; the fhock h\\v^ the boat, and
fuch a quantity of water got in, that it funk ijn
lefs than an hour's time. By this accident I loft
all I had : I ran the rifk of .perifliing too ; -for I
had tlirown myfelf into a piragua, but it was fo
full of goods laved from the wreck, that it
ovcrfet J ieveral foldicrs were. drowned, and I
fliould have Iharcd the fame fate, had it not been
for a generous jikanza^ who, not fearing the
fe verity of the feafon, leapt into the \vater, and
feized me by my riding-coat.

After thefe adventures I am at laft arrive^!
,at Fort Charires : I had not been long here,
when I was wltneis to an event which might hav.e
had very unhappy conlcquences. The Pe/ien-
g'dichias and the Ouyatancns had agreed upon the
total ruin of ^iwc French villages among tht: Jlli-
vois. M. de Macnrty \\x(^ fent me before-hand
to prepare quarters for fome troops that came in

L. U I S. I A N A. ,1^

a QOi}v^!f. The Ii;i.d;ians h^d meditated tlieir en-
terprife, and intencied to conjic beffqre the con-
•voy. • Iwas then ,^ the KaJ^a^ias, where M.
^e Mom eMrv^ux ,coinm?indcdy.yf ho .could not
}\x&\y Jyiow.the whole .'extent , of the plot ,of thole
barbarians. Thefe were (preatl in the hoiifcs of
the inhabitants ; by thpir care/Tes, their affeela-
tion, md calling .to mind the mafere of the
Natchi's, m fufpeded their defign.

On fuch .occafions as thefe, an pfficer feels all
the weight Qf the cp.mnand. M. de Montchar^
vaux was not difcouraged j he was ft.onded by
M. de Gruij% an intelligent, brave officer. He
held a council with the oldeft and moft confider-
able people of the place i and clid me the ho-
,Jiour to confult me in ^t^is circumllance : jt was
.^lore through his good^efs than through necef-
fTity, becaufe I was newly arrived, and confe-
quently little acquainted with the fituation of af-
ifairs in that neighbourhood. I will however
venture to fay, that^he was pleafed wjth'the ad-
vice I gave, though it was a very fimple one.
My opinion was, that, jn order to penetrate the
defign of thefe Indians, we (liould keep on the
defenfive, without fliewing the lead fufpicion ;
that we fliould fend out fome armed inhabitants
on horfeback, as if th/^y went a-hunting , rccom-

■» ^ mendina

ii6 TRAVELS through

mending it to them, that, after they had gone
the rounds, they ftiould return into the village
full gallop, as if fomething had happened to them :
this was to give a falfe alarm. There remain^
ed nothing further to be done in that cafe, but
to examine the countenances of the Indians*
who would certainly betray themfelvcs. Thii
advice was followed -, the Indians believed the
JFrench had difpovered their plot ', they intends
ed to execute it on Chriftmas-day, when the
people came from the great mafs ♦, they had ex^
adly inquired after that day, afking, in their
way, when that day came on which the Son of
the great Spirit came into the world.

As foon as they believed they were difcover-
cd, they thought only of making their efcape ;
we fired upon them, and killed twenty-two on
the fpot. A ferjeant, called La Jeunejfe^ a
Creole, and a good hunter, killed four in my
prefence. M. de Gruife^ on his fide, attacked
thofe who were in the Jefuits houfe, he wounded
feveral of then, and took five alive, among whon>
there was one Illinois -, they were put in irons.

M. deUacarly haflened todifpatch meffengers
to 'New Orleans to the Marquis de Vaudreuil, to
give him an account of thjs expedition •, the go-
^ vernor

ere remain-

: in irons.

LOUISIANA, 117

Vcrnor fent back orders to deliver the prifoners
to their countrymen, who came crying, the ca-
lumet in hand, and difavowed the plot, faying
their people had loft their fenfes, and that the
Englilh had taken their fenfes from them; They
received peace vet-y thankfully, and all is quiet
at prefeht ; however, for precaution's fake, the
inhabitantis have received orders to carry their
hiulkets when they go to mafs ; and the officer
of the guard to place two fentinels at the church-
door during divine fervice;

I mufi: hot forget to mention to you* Sir,
that all this paflTed without our having a fingle
man killed or wounded. The Indians threw
away their cloaths and their clubs to run the
better ; the vigilance of M. de Monttharvaux
the commandant, and of M. de Gruife the ma-
jor, has prevented the confpiracy, at the mo-
ment when the plot was to be executed. I am
now returned to Fdrt Chartres, where we lead a
pretty peaceable life ; I cannot lend any great
news, but I wiil communicate fome litrle anec-
dotes which may amufe you, and will at leaft
give you an -dea of our Indians.

I had hired an Indian for my hunter during
winter j he belonged to the village of the MU-

* 3 chigamias^

ii8

T R A V E-LcS THOROUGH

chigamias', ohe day having got a v6ry greai: quaii^' '
tity of gatiw,' rnftead of bringing it to me, he
went; to treat' * with fomc Frenchman,, who
gave him brandy ih exchange, of which he:
drat"k" (o much as to loft the ufe of his
reafon. As he entered my lodgings in this.'
condition, I received him. very ill ; I took
away the mufket which I had given him, and-
turned hi'nl off by pufliing him out of doors :
he came, however, into my kitchen again ft my
will, lay down in it, and would not go our of
it. As foon as he was in his fenfes again, he
well conccivetl what a great fault he hid com-
mitted •, and, being willing to atone for it, he
took a gun, powder, and Ihot, and went out.
The next day he returns, and comes in, very
haughtily, loaded with game : he had round his
naked body a girdle, between which all the heads
of the wiid- fowls were put -, he loofenerd itj and
thrcW them into the middle of m!y room ; he
then fat dov/n near my iir^, without Ipeaking ;
he lighted his calumcty and giving it mt to
fmoke out of it, he faid, " I own I had loft my
fenfes yefterday, but I have found them again :

"I ac-

■■*■■ They call treating^ tJie exchange or barter of European
merchandize againft the firs which the Indians take in hunt-

liij^.

LOUISIANA.

t«

K
(1
<(

I acknowledge my fault ; and I beg thee id
exGufe it.- I agree that I had defcrved thtf
treatment I received, being turned out of thy
luic J thou haft done well to let me come in
again, becaufe, if the other Indians had h«af(i
of it, they would at the lealt difpute reproach
me with having been turned out'of the hut of
the chief Great Nofe *.'*

■ Many Europeans make no difference between
the Indians and brutes, imagining that they
have neither reafon nor common fenle. How-
ever, the circumftance which I have now rela-
ted, and a great many more, fufficierftly fliew,
that thefe people are iufceptible of fentimerits
of honour ; they know how to do themfelves ju-
ftice when they are wronged, and know very
well when they do ill. There are nations among"
the Europeans, of whom one may remark as
ridiculous and barbarous cuftoms as among
the American Indians.

To return to my hunter: you know very
well, that drunkennefs dcbafes men to the rank
^ 4 ^f

* An epithet the Indians gu\ e me to diflingiillh me from
the other officers, to each of whom the- gave fuch denomi-
nations, relative to the good or hid ouaLtics they obfervej
in them.

120 TRAVELS THROudH

of brutes, and that this vice is correfted with
difficulty even amongft the French. The In-
dians imitate them eafily in it, and fay the white
people have taught them to drink the jiery wa-

One day my Indian found the doof of the
King's magazine openj he Iheaked in like a fer*
pent, got to a barrel of brandy, and died half
of it, by endeavouring to fill a bottlj5 with it*
This accident obliged me to difmifs him j how-
ever, as he was a good hunter, and had only one
fault, his wife begged me to give him phyfic,
to prevent his drinking : I willingly undertook
the cure, with the afliftance of his wife and rela-
tions. Once this hunter was drunk, but defired
ftill more brandy i I got the people to tell him
I had fomc; but that 1 was very tenacious of it.
Me came immediately, and afked me for fome :
I faid, I had brandy, but I would not give it
for nothing. He faid he was poor -, however^
if I would take his wife, he would hire her to
me for a month. I anfwered, that the chiefs of
the white warriors did not come to the red men
to enjoy their wives -, that if he would fell me
his fon, I would willingly take him as a (lave,

and

■kiiria

♦ Thus they call hraiuiy.

LOUISIANA.

I2X

and give him in return a barrel of brandy j we
made the bargain in prefence of feveral witncffes,
and he delivered his fon to me.

I was ready to laugh at this farde, from the
very beginning of it. I made him drink upon
the bargain fome brandy, into which I liad put
long pepper. When he had drunk it, he was
bound, and brought to fleep. When he was
recovered of his drunkennefs, the Cacique of
the village and his relations, who were in the
lecret, came to him into his hut, where he lay
upon a mat-, they difplayed to him all the hor-
ror of the unnatural aflion he had committed by
felling his own offspring. The poor Indian
came crying to me, and faid, Inda^e wai pants,
i. e. I am unworthy of living ; I do no longer
deferve to bear the tender name of father* He
was very angry at the brandy I had given him
to drink, and which had fired all his ftomach j
he called it urine of thz chief of hell^ that is, of
the evil fpirit that caufed it.

♦

His wife, who is naturally humorous, and
who was diverting herfelf at his expence, alked
him very coolly where his fon was .^ He ftill ex-
cufed himfelf, faying, that, knowing me to be
Veiy kind, he expedted I would return him his

fOBj

fx% TRAVELS THkoi^ftit

ibn 'y that he knew the grand chief of ik6
French*, and the father of the red men, had na
flaves in his empire. I told him he was in the
right, but that I had adopted his fon, and
"Vvould take him in that quality with me to
France, in order to make him a Chriftian, and
that all the furs of his nation would not be fuf-
ficicnt to redeem him.

As the relations feemed to be grieved, thej^
advifed the drunkard Indian to go to the chief
df the prayevy or the man that fpeaks with thtj
great Spirit ; > for thus they call the priefts : \
told him, that if the chief of the prayer -f- re-
quired it, I fliould not be contrary to him •, I
would return him his fen, on condition that he
fhould be baptifed, and that I ftiould be his>
godfather : that as to himfelf, I required front
him ^n abjuration of drunkenncfs, which had
proved fo fatal to him. He laid my words were
ftrong, "nd he lliould remember them while he
lived i he bej^t^ .-^ I would adopt him as a bro-
ther, and faid he was going to ftrike at the poll J.

Since

« The French King.

f The Abbe Gagnon, of the order of St. Sulpit^us, and
chaplain of Foit^/iartres,

% The Indian method of faking ..n oath. See Letter V«

L a u I s I X N^ A.

SiiTte' tte tim<^ He h^s rie'vei' clrarik wiriei <^r any
f^jmu^ds liqW)rs i I h^iirt-fctit pedple' lio offer
thi&m t'6 himf, but hied ways refu^td" tWii^, %-
irtg", thkt Hfe had- iktiick at the pd^', and that
th^^ hm df life Would be ^ngry with him ; that
I had tolti Wim im Ms Spirit c6uid tiotht dfe-
ceivc^d : h^ rocoireftcd that onte' Jf Hdd h^rii6d'
the niimber of ^IsKTes of brandy whrch Ite had
driiwt, wkh6ut nf\f Hi'^irig feen hinr; to' which
he had arifwercd', that it wa^ Very true, and that
he believed that the great Spirit! thacfe^s cV^ry
thing muft hav(^ told me of it. f tcok the follow-
ing method when* I vC^anted to kndw how many
dVams rfiy Indian had taken. I left a clean
glafs near a barrel of brandy -, the Indian, being
afone, was tempted to drink a glafs ; afte'r
which I ordered the glaft to be wafhed in hoi
water, and put iri its place again ^ and ever/
time he drank, m.y people always did the fame
thing. Accordingly it was very eafy for me to
tell him, thqu haft taken fo many drams ; Le
was always amazed at it, and thought I was ;.
forcerer.

I have often remarked, that the Indians are
highly pleafcd when the French carefs their lit-
tle children ; likewife, in order to make myfelf
beloved and feared by them at the fame time,

when-

124 TRAVELS THROUGH

whenever I had rcafon to be difpleafed with theif
behaviour, I made ufe of this method: the!
inorc I feemed vexed and angry at the fathers^
the more I afFeded friendlhip for their children j
i carelTed them, and gave them European toys*
The Indians readily guefTedj that as I had no rea-
fon to complain of their wives and children, I
did not love them lefs than before, and was only
Vexed at thofe who had offended me, without
extending my anger upon their families. This
moved their heart, and confequently they went
out, killed fomc wild fowls, brought them
to me, andi throwing them on the floor, faid,
** This is to appeafe thee, be no longer angry
** with us." I immediately anfwered, I willing-
ly forget the paft, when I fee you come back
with your wits, meaning when you do not come
empty handed. A father's heart is the fame all
oVer the world \ every father is pleafed with the
friendlhip which is (hewn to his children, whoi
make returns by their careffes.

You can well conceive, that a mere trifle cari
gain me the fricndliiip of thefc people •, and that
it depends only upon the method of adting with
them, to attach thfm to one's felf at all events.
Kut let this luffi'-c for ihis time •, I think I
tnud recall to your mind the plan I purpo-

fed

L O U I S I A N A. 12^

fed to follow ; I Only examine the fituation of
the places where I ftop, and, during my ftay, I
fhall apply particularly to know the genius of
the people with whom I am to live for a time j
and I think this ftudy not beneath a traveller.
You are a foldier and a philofophcr ; I am per-
fuaded, that what I Ihall give you an account of
will pleafe you ; for I flatter myfelf, that you
depend upon the fidelity of your hiftorian : in-
deed, I mean to aflert nothing but ^^hat I am an
eye-witnefs of; for I can neither invent nor ex-
aggerate. I am, SI R, ^c.

Jit Fort Chartres, among the Illinois^
the zSth of March 1752.

L E T.

126 T R A V E L S .thaoux;k

L ^E T r E R VII.'

7o the foitie.

. <

Defcrifdan cf the War of iJie Nations ^f Foxes

cgainjl the llUmm^ of which the Author has been

en Lye-'witiicfs. Account how the French Jettled

among thefe People.

S I R,

f^%^'^ HAVE enquired after the manner
^ I S^ in which the French fettlement has been
\xJF%.Jn, i'n^<^<^- here. The country of the ////-
ffrt/-» VMS difcovered by our Canatliin hunters;
they Found its climate very good, being in forty
c!<*grees north latitude, fettled on it, and made
an alliancewith the natives. Man. people among
them married Indian girls, of which tlie greatell
part became Chriftians : and after the dilcovery
of Lcuijinna^ the India Company lent many fami-
lies

t O U I S I

A N A.

127

lies over hither, .who lived and mulciplied here.
There are now five great villages of French in-
habitants in thefe parts *. ;;he moft confider-
^ble place is called Kajkakias, a name of the
tribeof an////;;,/j fettlement, which is about half
a league from it. The Sieur Sauff^er, an en-
gineer, has made a plan for conftrudling a new
iPrt here, according to the intention of the
pourt. It (hall bear the fame name with the old
POe, which js called Fort ,^^, Chartres,

. The Illinois country is one of the fineft in the
world ; K fuppljes all the lower parts oi Louiftaufi
with flower. Its commerce confifts in furs
Jead and fait. There are m :ny fait fprings +,' '
•that attvaa the wild oxen, and iht roe-bucks,
which like the paftures around them very much!
Their fleHi and tongues are faked, and furniui
.another branch of commerce to New Orleans-,
^nd they cure hams, which equal thofe ot
Bayonne. The fruits arc as fine as in France.

• Tie India Company were pofleHed of Louifiana; but ihor
gave „ back ,0 U,e King i„ ,73 ,. The five villages of ,he
F-nch arc , a. of .he K..Mu... ,hc For. cLr„. Se.
m/. the AW,V,,„ ana ,l,c /-.„>,>»-„ /!„/„, („caJow „a
the rock) , „,cre i, now a fix>h, called St. OW./™.

t Called ^a//-/,Vi,, by the Enjlin, ria„K„. >_

The

128 TRAVELS through

The Illinois have very near the fame manners
and cuftoms as the Nations I have already fpoken
pf} they only differ in their language. They
marry, and often, when they return from hunt-
ing, leave each other agai*-,, each party going
a different way.

The marriage of the Indians is quite in the
(late of nature, and has no other form than the
mutual confent of tl e parties. As they are not
tied by any civil contrad, whenever they are dif-
fatisfied with each other, they feparate, without
ceremony, faying that marriage is a tie of the
heart, and that they only marry in order to love
each other, and help ea^h other mutually in
their wants. I have feen very happy marriages
among thcle peopk- i divorces and polygamy arc
uncommon amongft them, though the latter is
allowed by the laws. An Indian may have two
ivives if he hunts well •, fomctimes one Indian
itiarries two fifters, giving it as a realbn that
they will agree better among themfelves, than
two that are ftrangers to each other. The In-
dian women in general arc very laborious j they
arc commonly told, when they are young, that
if they be idle or heavy, they will get a
wretched hulband. Here avarice, ambition,
and many other paflions, fo common among the

Europeans,

LOUISIANA. 129

Europeans, never ftifle the feelings of nature,
in a father's breaft, or incline him to force his
children, and much lefs to controul them in their
inclinations. By an admirable fympathy, deferv^
ing of admiration, thofe only are married, who
love each other.

The nUnois Indians were ix3rhierly the fnoft
formidable in Loufiana, but the continual wars,
>vhich they have been engaged in, againft the
northren nations, have reduced them to a very
fmall number. The hatred of the Canada IndU
^»J againft them, arifes from the incurfions which
the IlUnois were ufcd to make into their coun-
try, and becaufc they took and killed in thefe
inroads, both the male and female beavers,
which among thefe nations is reckoned a crime
and cowardice, becaufe they make a great com-
merce with the (kins of thefe amphibia % which
they e "hange for European goods.

^n ^75^f the Indians of the tribe of K^akias
met fix Indians of the nation of Foxes, hunting f •

J Beavers are quadrupeds ancl probaMy called, by our a«.
thor, ampma for no other rcafon, but becaufc thev may
lie eaten as fiih on the Joun maigres F. '

t Their true name is Oura^amS ; th.v inhabit the cou.,-
try to the weft of Uie Lake Mic.h:^r,,. '

130 TRAVELS THAoufcH

they took them prifoncrs, though they were not
at war, and reiblved to bum them, that they
might not give any account of them. One of
the Foxes^ or Outagamis was happy enough tb
«fcape from the ftake he was fattened to, and be-
ing purfued by his tormentors, he leaped into a
lake, and eluded their refearches, by fwimming
under water. He remained hidden in the ruflies,
only putting out his head from time to time to
take breath. He had the firmnefs to remain in
that pofture while his comrades were broiling.
In the night time he efcaped the watchfulnefs o£
the Illinois^ who thought he was either drowned
or eaten by the armed fijk *. As he was naked
and without arms, he was obliged, in order to
fubfift upon the road, to eat grafs like a beaft.
Being returned to his nation, he told them what
had happened to him with the Illinois, and the
unhappy fate which they had made his fellow-
travellers underga Their relations immediately
began to grieve for them after their manner. The
chief of the nation called An affembly together,

for they undertake nothing without a council ; the

rcfuit

• The armed filh in Louijiana is exceedingly voracious.
His te','th cut the iron of the iiih hooks in piece«.

y voracious*

L O I 3 I A N A. tit

rcliilt was to fend hun4\c$ qf rqds "^ ^ ihc/dtkicfs
of th< tribes, who w«rp their allies, aipoag
whojo were the i'/V?*^, ,the Sakis and the K/',b^o«j
who marched as auxiliary troops under the
ftandard of the Foxes. The army confifted of
a thoufand warriors 5 every thing being in rea*
dinef?., the general of the Foxes marched towards
the JlHHois^ and chiefly towards the Mtchigamias
who had given flielter to the Koaklas.

The warriors being come together to the num-
ber of one thoufand, they embarked in one
hundred and eighty canoes made of birch tree
bark, on the river Ouifconfmg which ^alls into
the Miffiftppi, By the current of the riyer, and
the help of their oars, they were foon brought
to their enemies, the Illinois.

They pafled in good order by the fort of iT^^-
kias where the Chevalier ^^ W/^/, an officer of
my detachment, commanded. The van of this
fleet of the Foxes, confifted of the beft runners,
who were to go on ihore to recoayoitre. l^hey

K 2 landed

• As the Indianp * ./e hot got the art of writing, the rods
mark the number of warriors, and the day of aflembling for
the departure of the army.

I3Z T R A V EL S through

landed about a quarter of a league from tfhe;
MfchigamiasyWhgCy which was furroundcd within
a mufket fliot by a wood -, their enemies being ,
far from expecting fuch a vifit. ^

The Foxes had Hxed vpon Corptts Cbrifti day
for fighting the Mnois. They knew that the
latter would come to Yort.Chartres to fee the ce-
remony which is performed by the French on
that folemn day ; the fort was only a league from
the Indian village.

Every th:'ng being in rcadinefs for the attack,
the general of the F<?;^^j ordered ten or twelve of
the beft runnners "o throw away their bodies f .
Thefe young men immediately fell upon the
enemy's village and killed all they met as they
came in, crying the cry of death, and having
difchargf d their arms, they fled with as much
quicknefs as they came.

The Illinois took up their arms and purfued
them i but the army of the Foxes^ lying on the

ground,

'* This is a great holiday with the French.

•)■ To throw away their bodies^ is among the Indians to
txfo/e their bodies to Janger, as thofe do that are obliged ta
mount firft of all the breach to ilorm a place.

I#fcO U I « I AN A.

'^2(3

ground, in the high gmfsj dif. harg«d all their
-arms and killed twenty-eight Mnou : at the fame
time they fell upon the village, and killed men,
women and children ; fet fire to the village, and
tbowpd and led away the reft as captives.

, The Fexis loft but four men in this glorious
^expedition, one of them being a chief with a
.medal *, of the nation of Sioux, who went. with
them as an ally.

I was u fpeftator of this (laughter, which hap-
pened on the fixth of Juijc 1752. I was at that
.time on a hill which overlooks the plain and the
village of the Mitchigamias, I had the opportu-
nity of faving the life of a girl of fifteen yearg
of, age, who came to bring me fome ftraw-ber-
berries. At the time of the attack, ihe ran
away, and as the enemies purfued her, (he ran
into my arms, where the barbarians did not
venture to fhoot at her, for fear of hitting
me;

This

• This.diftinaion, of which I have already fpoken, is
granted by oider of the King, through his general, to the
moft valiant Indians, and who arc moft attached to th«
French nation.

liF

J i

TRAVELS TiTRouoii

Tfeis aecountwill iflfbrrtt yon, that ndthiB^
tin be liibrc dangerous, thin being taken una-
wares by tktk iiatbtl*. None but thofe, i;(^hb
ware? gOtti60ibt of curiofity t<^ fte the prOceffioft itt
the Freiich fort of CkHrftes^ ek&ped. thfe reVcfh^ge
of the Foxes, who contented with their vi6lory,
rft-tfi**b?arbkl ih their boats, and put the prifoiiers
well bound in the van j and paffin^ by thte
Frtnch fort of Kd^i^, th^gaiVie ft genkkHa-
Jute with their guns. . :, -

tte chief, 6t Jidifiii'afl iOf ^e"'Fi!>W^, ^had
hoiftcd the French CoIdu^s on his c^rto^^ afld
vas as proud of hW tJ^ory, ars^if l^fc^idftfb-
liued a great effi|^irer-^*^^'^

M. di Mfiiafty, W ^gSfiVcrnor, has writ^nto
thofe in the J^lls-of Cirtada, to treat with the
P<9;w;f copcei^ning the mtfkm of the JlUmh i^tim
they have tdk^n pri^ci^r . u vru uim

Thefe cunning Indians had condaftcd <h«Jir
undertaking fo well, f *• <ve knew nothing of
it till it was executed i u.w, .-id the knowledge of
it from 4js, juftly fearing that we Ihould InteFpofe
our mediation between them and the ///i«^V, as
Mpg the friends and allies of both ; but the

Pffcnd^

LOU I S I A N A. igSi

offended nation was deiirous of vengeance
only.

The Yi\hgG of the MtcMgamras has loft about
eighty perfons, both killed and prifonei3, in this
fatal afiair.

On the fixteenth o£ June, I was ordered by
the commandant of Fort Charires, to aflemble
the remains of the conquered tribes of Koakias
and Mtchigamias, and I held this ihort fpeech
to them, by means of the King's interpreter.

4 rpeak to you, my children *, on the part of
your father, M. de Macarty, who takes a great
fliare in your misfortune, at the fame time he
exhorts you to take care in fowing your maize,
that you may efcape the want in which you are
at prefent. Here is fome «iaize, which he gives
you, becaufe his heart fulFcrs to fee you weak-
ened by '-^mger. He has likewife told me to
give this little quantity of powder, fhot and
flints ; we cannot do better at prefent, be'caufe
we have our enemies as well as youi and we do
not know when the boats will co.,)e from the
great village (i. e. New Orleans) Your father

■'*»*'- t f *.w^r~ ™>-,

recom-

• The Indians are ufed to call every officer, my father.

-■T'..

136 TRAVELS through

recommends i): to you togoa hunting, and to take
your families with you, that they may have
fomewhat to live upon, leaving only a certain
number of men, to take care of the fields, and
to prevent the wild bead? fr 4 ruining them 1
you muft likewife take care to fend one of your
people from time to time, to inquire how
flfiatters IVand here.

The Anpuoer of the Chiefs of the Tribes,

■ *fc ■ 4 At

« It is very well, my Father, that the great chief*
pities us. It was a very brave aftion to be fur-
<* prized in the manner weha ve becnj thou haft been
*' an eye-witnefs of it, for thou haft faved the life
of one of our girls j our tribe have been killed
by the Foxes^ who have burnt our huts with our
♦« viduals, and taken our booty, during our re-
**. treat at the Kajkakins, Thou muft think, that
<iwe cannot leave any here, or they muft ftarve,
ff and would ever lament the death of our rela-
tions, who perilhed in this fad aflion. But to
convince our father of our fidejity, tell him,
♦' by means of the fpeaking fubftance (paper),
^ .:iat from time to time we ftiall fend fome one

"of

«c

■ I . I

• Thus thefe nations call the fuperior officers of a pro-
vince or diftrk^,

L O U I S I X N^A.

>37

•« of ourpcopl^^to him witK gSiiie to^ know what
" happens here.

c«

z^*v

«i

Wc hope the grand cliief of the French
*« will protea ajid help us to Ihclter ourfelvcs a-
*• gainft the enemy. Webcgthr-likewifetomake'
•* intercft with him that he may be fo good as t<y
"fend word to feveral families of our pt pli||
'•^who ftayed amc the Kajkakias, to join us7
•• in order to affift u m the common defence-of
" the intended fort, of which vft have diawif
"the plan on the Ihorc of the MJJiftp^i:

«(

Speech of Chikapu, c Chief with a Medal

" I beg, my father, that thou wouldft get o|l|
«« arms mended, and we fliall decamp afcer ^x
" immediately : and that thou wilt tell the grand
" chief not to hear the bad words, which our
" enemies will not fail to throw out againft ow
" nation, let him remember the promife I made
•* him, it fhall be a true one ; and I prcferve his
'* words in my heart."

:'iv»t

Anfwer^

If what thou faycft be true, thy father will
receive thee well, and all the other chiefs will

endeavour

1^1 T R A y E L S TH|ov^H

endeavour xq plcafc thcc, if thy heart agree
with thy tongue. It is neceffary thou fhouldlt
fet out foon : confider the damage which the dogs
of thy village have done amoog the cattle be-
longing to the Ffcnch inhabiants ;*=, and. with,
what tranquility they fuffer Jt » l^hat thpy,
have hitherto laid notjiiqg ab>out it, i3 jn confix
dw^ion of your jjji^fqrtua^s,, which grievs
tneniy and they cannot fee you re<^uc^d to thia
%i a>ndition without being i^^vec^ ft it : buc
^y begin to be tiped, therefore you muft . fCi
medy it* Xouf -faih^r will be fatisfied when hQ
knows that you are gone to the hunting country,
becaufe his heart is. afflicted to fee you fufFer hun-
ger, and he pities his children;

• A- to myft?!**/ 1 heartily wifh yo,u good fuc»
tefs in hunting,, and a plentiful crop at your re-i
tum. I hope the Greaf Sfiri^ will have pitjr
wpon you ; do not flight him : ^econjnjend it tq
yj5ur young people not to play the fool, that is,
lK>t to deilroy the fiimale bcaveis in the hkes

and

• Tht Indians have many dogs for hunting j and they
themfelves having loll iheir provifions, their dogs were hun-
gry, and devoured «he cattle of ihe freucli. The Indian
dogs arc of a breed which jjartakcs of the wolf and the
^og.

L O U I S I A N A.

139

and hunting places of your enemies, who will
not fail to be revenged for it, as you haveuit-
hap/iiy experienced.

'.I

Your father has written to Mr. AdamviJk,
who commands at the Peorias^ to make your
peace with the Foxes, and to tr«at with them
aboiH the raofpm of your wives and children,
whom they,h^«e taken prifopcrs.5 the merchan-
dizes fhall be furniOiefd for that p.urpofe for the
account of the king, your father, grand chi^f
of the white men and of the red men,

.-Among, the. Indians, thofc ; who run away or
defcrt in an aclion, where their honour, and the
defence of their country is at flake, are not pu,
nilhedi byt they are coufidered as the difgrace
of human nature. The others are continually
reproaching them, that thejr are not men, but
old women j they are defpifed by the very wo-
men, and) the uglie,^ girls will not accept of
th-m for hulbands, and if ever it happened that
a girl fhould be willing to marry a coward, her
relations would not allow of it, for fear of hav-
ing men without courage, and ufclefs to their
country in their family. Thefe men are obliged
IQ let their hair grow, and to wear an alkenan^

Jikft

liiJL.

^M||' ;

■11

KBiyji Jl f

T R A V E L S I THROUGH '

like the women *. I faw one of them, who
oeirtg afhamed of his figure, went by himfclf to
fight the tchikachasy who arc our enemies and
theirs. He came near them, creeping like a fnake,
and hiding himfelf in the great grafs during
three or four days, without eating or drinking.
•As the Englifh bring goods to the tchikachas
(Ghickikws) in caravans, our Illinois killed one
of them who had ftrayed from the caravan, cjrt
off his head, mounted his horfe, and got off.
^c was out three months upon this fine expedi-
tion. On his return the nation received him
with due honour, and gave him a wife, that he
might beget warriors. Before his departure he
'eat of dog's flefh, conformably to the opinion
current among his people, and of which I
have already had the honour of Ipcaking toj^ou.

Tlie grand chief of the ///i>w>isdefcendedfrom
the family of i^t^emaroas^ who were formerly
fovereigns of this country. This Cacique or
Indian king, is the fon of him that went to
France with his attendants in 177.0. He was
prefented to the King, who gave him a medal
with his portrait, which the fon now wears on

his

• A ftiort petticoat, which the Indian women make ufe of,
to cover their nakedncfs.

LOUISIANA.

[41

his breaft. There was likewife a woman of the
nation of the Miffhuris^ who was called the prin-
cefs of the MJfoms *. The Sieur Dubois, a fer-
jcant, and interpreter of thofe American ambaf-
iadors, having been created an officer by the
King, mzvntd iKis Migourian lady at his return.
She became d vidow ; and afterwards married
the Sieur Mmn, a captain of the militia, by
whom ihe had a daughter, who is ftill alive.

■?i fi

The Indian princefs dcfcribed to her country^
men the magnificence fhe had feen at the courc
of France, where fhe had been well received,
4nd loaded with prefents; Ihe had, amongft
other things, got a fine repeating watch fet with
diamonds, which the lavages called a fpirit, oa
account of its motion, which fecmed fupernatu-
ral to them.

I have here fpoken with an old Indian, who
was in the retinue of the Prince Tamaroas ; I
tlkcd him feveral qucftions concerning France,

and

* She was the daughter of the grand chief of this nation.
It is faid ihe was M. 4'/ Comment's miftrefs» who, during his
command among the Mifauris, never ceafed to praife and ex-
tol the wonders of France, and by that meani engaged feve-
ral to follow him : this girl went over to the Chriftlan relt-
jlon, and was hnptuKI ar the church of Notre Prrfr.

TRAVELS THROUGH

HM cfpccially what fine fights he had feen at Pd'
ris: he anfwered, that it was the Rue 4e Boucher
riesy (the ihamblcs) bccaufc tlicre was a great
abundance of flefli ; and after that the Rue St.
Honore. When he told his countrymen that he
had feen the opera, and that all the people there
*rc jugglers or forcerers i and that he like wife
faw, upon the Pont-Neuf^ fome little men who
danced and fung ♦, they would not believe him.
When he faid, that, in the great village of the
French (Paris), he had feen as many people as
there are leaves on the trees in their forefts, (an
hyperbole which the Indians make ufe of to ex-
prefs a great number, having no words to ex-
prcfs a number above a hundred), they anfwer-
ed, that the Europeans probably had fafcinatcd
his eyes, that it was impoffible, and that they
had always offered the fame objefbs to his eyes.
He faid that he had feen the huts of the grand
chief of the French, i. e. Verfailks and Louvre,
and that they contained more people than there
are in their country : he likewife added, that he
had feen the hut of the old warriors, (the royal
hofpital of invalids). As this old Indian began
already to doat, he agreed with the other In lians,
that the French had bewitched him. Another

Illinois,

• A puppet-ihow.

LOU IS I A N; A.

HSnoiSy who liad mide the feme voyage, toW
his countrymen, that, in the TJtmlkries, and
other public walks, he had fcen men who
were half women, having their hair drefled like
women, wearing the fame ear-rings, and great
nofc-gays on their breaft $ that he fufpedted they
Jjut rouge oti their faces, and that he found they
fmelled like crocodiles *,

ttis Indian fpdke with the greateft contempt
of that race oi mortals, whom we know under
the name of petits-maitresy or beaus, who arc
born with the weaknefs and the delicacypccjliar
to women ; nature feeming to have begun mak-
ing them fuch, ai?d afterwards to makeamif-
take in the formation of their fcx.

The Indian had likewife remarked the etidr-
mous height of the head-dreflfes of our women
in that timef , and of the heels of their fhoes.
But what would he have faid, if he had feen the
extravagant width of their hoops, and their fine

fhape

* The crocodile in the Mlffifippi has foliicles with muik,
which fmells ftrongerthan the Eaft Indian muflc ; its eftum
are fo ftrong, that you can often fracU the animal before you
fee it,

t During the regency.

144 T R A V ELS throuob

ihape forced, from their infancy, into. that ele-
gant cuirafs called ftays. Thefe coquets are
not lefs ridiculous by their ariifics, than their
filly adorers. You have made the ob&rvation,
as I have done, in the courfe of your travels
through Europe, that the foreigners and coun-
try gentlemen, who come to Paris to copy our
beaus and our belles, have rendered themfelves
infupportable to their countrymen by this unna-
tural method of acting : indeed, faid our Ame-
rican, fuch efFemin<ite manners diihoaour are-
fpe^table nation.

I have received a letter from the Marquis de
Vaudreuil^ in which he expreflcs great concern
for the unhappy accident which has befallen me,
by the wreck of my boat. This governor, from
a pure efFeft of his generofity, which is natural
to him, has been willing to alleviate, as much
as is in his power, the fate of an unhappy offi-
cer, who loft all he had in the King's fervice.

He has given me leave to come to New Or-
leans, and offered me his purfe and his table •, I
am afraid he will be gone for France by the time
I arrive at New Orleans, It may be faid with
truth, that he has deferved the eftcem and fricnd-
fhip of every body. The Indians inccfiantly

com*

LOUISIANA.

compare him now to M.de Bienville^ his prede-
ceffor. When thefe people do not fpeak in
praife of a governor, but, on the contrary, agree
with all the inhabitants in detefting him, it is the
ftrongeft accufation againft him.

Before I conclude, I fhall add a word about
the Mffouris. Baron Porneuf, who has been go-
vernor of Fort Orleans eftabliOied in that nati-
on, and who knows their genius perfedlly well,
has informed me, that they were formerly very
warlike and good, but that the French hunters
had corrupted them, by their bad conduft, and
by fome difunions among them; they had
made themfelves contemptible by frauds iti
trade ; they feduced and carried off the Indian
women, which, among thefe people, is a very
great crime ; for they never pardon fuch forts of
robberies. All the irregularities of thefe bad
Frenchmen irritated the mjfouris againft them ;
and therefore, during M. de Bienville's govern-
ment, they maffacred the Sieur Dubois, and the
little garrifon under his command ; and as nc
foldier efcapcd, we have never been able to know
who was right and who was wrong.

The ftory I Ihall tell you will convince you,

that thefe people arc only nominally favagcs, and

^'°^' J- L that

146 T R A V E L Si THi^ouGH

that the French, who endeavoured to imppfc
upon them, have deceived themfelves. About
forty years ago, when thefe Americans did not
yet know the Europeans, a traveller or hunter
penetrated into their country, made them ac-
quainted with fire-arms, and fold them mufkets
and gunpowder : they went out a-hunting, and
got great plenty of game, and of courfe many
furs. Another traveller went thither fome time
after, with ammunitions ; but th.9 Indians being
ftill provided, they did not care to barter witl^
the Frenchman, who invented a very odd trick,
in order to fell his powder, without much trou-
bling his head with the confequences that might
refult from his impofture to his countrymen. He
thought he had done a great action in deceivnjg
thefe poor people.

As the Indians are naturally curious, they
were defirous of knowing how powder, which
they called gram, was made in France. The
traveller made them believe, that it was fown in
favannahs, and that they had crops of it as of
indigo or millet in America.

The Miffouris were plcafcd with this difcovery,
and fowed all the gun-powder they had left,
which obliged them to buy that of the French-
man,

i- o ij I s I A

N A.

rfian, who got a confiderdble quantity of bea-
verifkins, otter-fkins, &c; for it, and after-
wards went down th^ river to the Illinois, where
M. de Tonii commandedi

The Mijfmris weht from time to time to the
fnvannah, to fee if the powder was growina •
they had placed a guard there, to hinder the
wild beafts from fpoiling the field ; but they
foon found out the Frenchman's trick: It muft
be obferved, that the Indians can be deceived
but once, and that they always remember itt
accordingly thefe were refolv^ed to be revenged
upon the lirft Frenchman tiiat fhould come to
them. Soon after, the hop.s of profit excited
the traveller to fend his partner to the MJJoufls
With goods proper for their commerce; they
foon jound out, that this Frenchman was aflb'
ciated With the man who had impofed upon
them ; however, they diflembled tJie trick which
his predecem)r had play..!. They gave him the
public hut, which was in the middle of the vil-
lage, to depofit his bdes in ^ and when they
were alF laid out to vie^v, the Miffouris came in
confufedly, and all thnfe who had been foolifh •
enough to fow gun-pr^wder, took aWay fome
goods . fo the poor Frenchman wcls rid of all
i»^ bales at once, b«t without any equi.alenr

^ * froiii

148 TRAVELS THROUGH

from the Indians. He complained much of
thefe proceedings, and laid his grievances be-
fore the great chief, who anfwered him very
gravely : That he Ihould ha,ve juflicc done him,
but that for that purpofe he muft wait for the
gun-powder harveil, his fubjefls having fown
that commodity by the advice of his country-
man ; that he might believe upon the word of a
fovereign, that, ^fter that harveft was over, he
would order a general hunt, and that all the
fkins of the wild beafts which Ihould be taken,
fhould be given in return for the important fe-
cret, which the other Frenchman had taught
them.

Our traveller alledged, that the ground of the
Mijfouris was not fit for producing gun-powder,
and that his fubjeds had not taken notice, that
France was the only country where it fucceeded
All his reafoning was uiclefs ; he returned

in.

much lighter than he came, and afhamed of
having been correded by favage men.

This lelTon did not prevent others from goings
to the Mijfouris \ one of them intended to pky a
good trick there -, he got ready a piragua, which
he loaded with trifles ; and, being informed of
the preceding adventure, he filled a little cafk

with

LOUISIANA.

149

with afhes and pounded charcoal, at the top of
which he put fome gun-powder. When he ar-
riveJ, he put all his goods in the great hut, in
order to tempt the Mifouris to rob him ; it
happened as he expefted. The Frenchman
made a great noife, gave the Indians abufire
language, and, running to the cafk of gun-
powder, he opened it, took a burning match,
and cried out, I have loft my wits, I will blow
up the hut, and you fliall come with me to the
country of the fpirits. The Indians were fright-
ened, and knew not what to do ; the other
Frenchmen who came with him were out of
doors, and cried out, our brother has loft his
fenfes, and he will not recover them again, till
he gets his goods back, or till he gets paid for
for them. The chiefs weiit through the village,
to exhort the people to pay ; thofe who had any
relations in the hut joined them ; the people
were moved, and every one brought all the
furs he had into the hut ; the Frenchman then
faid he had found his fenfes again. The chief
prefented him with the calumet, he fmoked, and
poured water upon the gun-powder to make it
ufelefs, or rather to hide his fraud from the In-
dians. He brought home fine furs to the value
of a thoufand crowns. The Indians have ever

L 3 fince

1^0 TRAVE;I.S through

fince held him in great elteem, giving him the
nanic of a frue man^ or man of cpHragi,

' - \ • .

i .■-*•■

I .Ihall finilh my better with the defcription of
a very odd and extraordinary ceremqny, per-
formed by the Miffouris, who came hither as am-
baiTadors, at the time when the Chevalier d^
Boijbriant commanded here. This tragic ftory
will at the fame time ferve to teach officers,
who, through a noble ambition, afpire to mili-
tary commands, that both the theoretical and
the pradical part of geography ought abfolutely
to be underflood by them •, and that it is necef-
fary they ihould carefully ftudy the interior fitu-
ation of a country where they are at war, in or-
der to avoid all furprifes of the enemy, and to
preferve the lives of the men who are under
their -are. What I Ihall now tell, will fuf-
ficiently convince them of this neceflity.

Spain favv, jvith great difplcafure, during tho
regency, our fettlements on the Mijptfifp : The
Englilh too, on their fide, fpared no intrigues to
ruin this growing colony, as they do flill in re-
gard to thofe upon the banks of the river Ohio^
which they fay belongs to them ; and they have
Jikewife laid claim to the M^JJiftppi.

L O U I S I A N A. i^i

In 1720, the Spaniards formed the defign of
fettling at the Mfouris, who kre near the Illinois^
in order to confine us more to the weftward-, the
Mifouris are far diftant from New Mexico^ which
is the mbft northerly {irovince the Spaniards
have.

They believed, thac in order to put their
colony in faftty, it was neceflary they fliould
entirely deftroy ^he Mifouris •, but concluding
that it would be impoflible tofubdue them with
their own forces alone, they refolved to make an
alliance with the Ofages, a people who wt, e the
neighbours olxht Mijgoitris, and at the fame time
their mortal enemies, hoping . with their aifift-
ance, to furprife an^^ deftroy their enemies.
With that view they fofriied a caravan -t Santa-
Fe\ confifting of men, women, and foldiers,
having a Jacobine prieft for their chaplain, and
an engineer-captain for their chief and condud-
or, with the horfes and cattle necefiary for a per-
manent fettlement.

The caravan being fet out, miftook its road,
and arrived i.i the Mijfouris, taking them to be
the Ofages. Immediately the condudor of the
caravan orders his interpreter to fpeak to the
phief of the MiJJhuris, as if he had'been that of

L 4 the

lS^ T R A V E L S T

HROUGH

the Ofages^ and tell him that they were come to
make an alliance with him, in order to deftroy
together the Mijjourh their enemies.

The great chief of the MJfouris concealed his
thoughts upon this expedition, Ihewed the Spa-
niards figns of great joy, i.nd promifed to exe-
cute a defign with them which gave him much
pleafure. To that purpofe he invi:ed them to
reft for a few days after their tirefome jou'-ney,
till he had aflembled his warriors, and held
council with the ojd men : but the refult of this
council oi war was, that they Ihould entertain
their guefts very well, ^nd affefl the fincereft
fri'^ndlhip for rhem,

They agreed together to fetout in three days.
The Spanifli captain immediately diftributed fif-
teen hundred mufketsamongft them, with anequal
number of piftols, fabres, and hatchets j but
the very morning after this agreement, the MiJ-
fouris cam>?, by break of day, into the Spanifli
canip, and killed ihem all except the Jacobinc
pricft, whofe Angular drefs did not feem to be-
long to a warrior : they called him a mag-pie^
qnd diverted themfelves with making him ride
on &nc of the Spaniih horfcs, on their days of
^ITembly,

Til?

■^i.v

LOUISIANA.

'S$

The pricft, though he was carefTed and well
fed, was not without uneafincfs, f<-aring that
thefc jokes would end in facrificing him to the
Manitou, or deity of the Indians ; therefore, one
day, taking advantage of their confidence in
him, he took his meafures to get away before
their faces. All thofe tranfadions the Mijfouris
fhemfelves have relai 1, when they brought the
ornaments of the chapel hither. They were
drefled out in thefe ornaments : the chief had
en the nak i fkin the chafuble, with the paten
fufpendedirom his neck, having driven a nail
through it, and making ufe of it as a breaft-
plate ; he marched gravely at the head of all
the others, being crowned with feathers and a
pair of horns. Thofe that followed him had
more chafuble^ on; after them came thofe who
carried the ftole, followed by thofe who had the
fcarfs about their necks ; after them came three
or four young Indians, fome with albs, and others
with furplices on. The Acolothifts, contrary to
order, were at the end of this proceflic not
being adorned enough, and held in their hands
a crofs or chandelier, whilft they danced in ca-
dence. Thefe people, not knowing the refpc<5b
due to the facred vtenfils, hung the chalice to a
horfc's neck, as if it had been a bell.

Reprcfent

154 TRAVELS through

Repreferit to yourfelf the ridiculous ffght
which the fingular order of this proceffion muft
oflfer to the eye, as they arrived before the houfe
of M. de Boijbriant the King's lieutenant,
marching in cadence, and with the great calu-
met of peace difplaycd according to cullom.

. . ■ . t

Tkc firft Frenchman who faw this mafqueradt
arrive, ran laughing to give M. de Boifbriant
intelligence of it j this officer, who is as pious
as he is brave, was overcome with grief at the
fight of the Indians, and knew not what to
think of the event ; he feared they had deftroy*
ed fome French fettlement j but when he faw
tlicm near by, his fadnefs vanilhed, and he had
much to do to keep himlelf from laughing with
the rell.

The Mijfouru told him, that the Spaniards
intended to ' have defl:royed them i that they
brought him all thcfe thihgs, as being of no
ufc to them, and that, if he would, he might
give them fuch goods in return is were more to
their liking. Accordingly he gave them fome
goods, and lent the ornaments to M. de Bienville^
who was then governor-general of the province
of homfiana.

LOUISIANA. 155

As the Indians had got a great number of
Spanifli horfes from this caravan, the chief of
the Mjfouris gave the fineft to M. de Boifhriant,

They had likewife brought with them the
map which had conduced the Spaniards fo ill,
who came to furrender themfelves, by confefling
their intention to their enemies.

I fhall profit of the permifllon whic!: I have
obtained to go down to New Orleans. If I find
our general, and a letter from you there, it \ 41
be a double plcafure to me. '

I am, SI R, &c.

jltthe Illinois^ the 15/^
of May 1753.

LET.

tsi TRAVELS THRou

LETTER

VIII.

To the fame.

The Author leaves the Country of the Illinois, and
goei to New Orleans. Arrival of Monfieur de
Kerlercc. Departure of the Marquis de FaU'
dreuil. The Author* s fecund Voyage to the Illinois.
Heroic A^ion of a Father, who facrificed himfelf
for his Son.

SIR,

P^Sc^^ N June I arrived at the Capital of
jR I Sr Louiftana, where I found a letter from
iit?^:^ you, which gave me real pleafure, by
informing me that you continue to enjoy your
health, and it made up for the lofs I had of our
dear governor's prefcnce ; when I came hither I
heard he was already gone to France -, and to
compleat my misfortunes, Mr. Michel de la
Rucv'illiero was dead of an apoplexy \ he had

wrote

LOUISIANA. 157

wrote to me that he had with forro - heard of
the lofs of my boat, and that notwithftanding
it was not the king's cuftom to re-imburfe fuch
cxpences, yet he would repair this lofs with plea-
furc for my .relief: that I Ihould make an exaft
•account of all I had loft, and join to it a certifi-
cate from M. de Macarty, the commander of the
convoy : this was, he faid, an indifpenfable ne-
ceflity, that this article may at leaft have feme
appearance, and thus be entered in the accounts ;
he promifed that as foon as he Ihould have this
paper, he would fettle what I was to receive.
TheMarquis de Vaudreuil had recommended mc
at his departure to his fucceflbr M. de Kerlerec^
who has not paid any attention to his recom-
mendation J his qualities are quite the reverfe of
thofe of his predeceflbr ; but this new governor
alledges, that he is not come fo far, merely for
the fake of changing the air. He kept me at
New Orleans^ and only allowed me to rejoin my
garrifonin 1754, with the convoy which M. de
Faveroi commanded. I could not find any
room to embark my provifions for the voyage,
on account of the number of goods every one
was allowed to take as a venture, and which
filled the king's boats : I made my juft reprc-
fentations on this fubjeft to M. de Kerkrec, who
made me fufT.r all kinds of difagreeable circum-

ftances

158 TRAVELS througit

ftances on this occafioii. . After which, having,
alked me what venture I took with me, I an-,
fwered, that I iinderftood nothing of commerce 4.
that beirg a foldier, his majefty had fent me to
Lowfmna to ferve him, and that I placed all my.
glory in that fervice, at laft M. de Kerlerec gave
me leave to join my garrifon.

I left New Orleans the feventeenth of Augiift,
but the boats, as I have already faid, were (o
much laden with ventures, that being overtaken
by the froit, we could not get to ±t Illinois, but
were obliged to winter on the road ; and the
convoy only arrived in January, 1755, which
occafioned extortions and immenfe cofts for the
king's account. The fatigue of (b long a
voyage ruined my health fo much, that I was
reduced to the utmoft extremity. I was con-
dudlied on foot by Indians, and when I was tired, .
they carried me in a drefled ox hide, made in
the form of a hamock, hung upon a great
pole, as a litter. They changed fucceflivcly,
and in this manner I came once more to the
old fort Chartres^ where I lay in a hut, till I
could get a lodging in the new fort, which
is almoft finifhcd. It is built of free ftone,
flanked with four baftions, aiid capable of con-
taining a gariifon of three hundred men. I

afked

LOUISIANA. 159

afked M. de Macarty\ leave to go to change the
air at the Kaokias^ who are a day's journey from
Fort Chartres, and the road to it is either by
water or by land. In this poft there is a little
fort on the left fide of the MiJJifippi, it is the
g^eat road of the Illinois to Canada, and the cen-
ter of commerce of New France, or Louifmna^
which is confider^ble in furs.

The priefts of the order of St. Sulpicius, to
whom the ifle and town of Montreal belong,
feave eftablifhed a miffion here under the name
of the Foly Family of Jefus, There are but
:hree puefts. I have been particularly ac-
quainted with the Abbe Mercier, a Canadian by
birth, and vicar of the whole country of Illinois,
He was a mzn of probity, whofe friendlhip
could not fail of being of ufe to me, by the
knowledge he had acquired of the manners of the
Indians, who were edified by his virtue and dif-
intereftednefs. He fpoke the language of the
country, and on account of the fluency with
which he expre/Tcd himlelf in it, he was highly
efteemed among the Indians, who confult him
in all matters. He has fpent forty five years in
cultivating the Lord's vineyard in thefe diftant
countries, and the Indian nations of thefe parts-

have

1^0 TRAVELS THROUGH

have always refpedcd him. A man of his cha-
radcr could never have lived long enough for
the happinefs of thefe people. This worthy
apoftle of Louifianay fell into a confumption in
Lent, and he died of it one Friday at half an
hour after eleven at night, expiring as a Chriftian
hero. He had an admirable prefence of mind»
and I have regretted him very much. The
French and the Indians were inconfolable ; the
latter fent their deputies according to their cuf-
tom to lament him on his tomb. They came
in fwarms, and as foon as they arrived near the
houfe of the late Abbe, they cried out aloud and
made doleful lamentations. Thefe poor people
were in a great confternation, and grief was
painted on their faces. Thefe people, whom
we call favages, know the true virtue in man 5
this man had worked almofc during his whole
life for their welfare -, they called him their fa-
thei and the chi'f of the prayer.

What a difference is there between this mif-
fionary and another anterior to him, who falfcly
attributed to himfelf thedifcovery of Loui/iana-,
I mean the father Hennepin, a Recollet friar, of
whom 1 fliall fpeak to you. In 1683, he pub-
iifhed a relation, the title of which is not right :

for

h O V t S I ^ N A. lit

for the country which the Recollet, and the Sieur
Decan dikovcred in going up the sMif^ppi from
the river of Illinois to the fd\\ St. Anthotiy, does
not belong to Louifiam, but to Canada. The re-
lation of a fecond voyage of father Hennepin^ in
the Recueil des Voyages duNord, bears a title which
is equally falfe : voyage to a country greater
than Europe, between the frozen ocean, and
new MMfico j for though they have gone very
far up the Mffifippu they have ftill been at a
great diaance from the frozen ocean. When
the author publilhed this fecond relation he had
quarrelled with M. de la Salle j it fcems that he
was adually forbid returning to America, and
that the difpleafure this, rcftriftion gave him,
prompted him to retire to Holland, where he
publilhed a third work, mtitled a new defcrip-
tion of a very great country, fituated in Averted
between new Mexico and the frozen ocean, ^ with
refkaions on M. de la Salle'i undertakings and
other things cX)ncerning the dcfenption and hif-
tory of North America^ , .

The Author, there riot only vents ail his ill-na-
ture on M. de la Salle, but likewife throws it
»pQh France, pretending to have laeen iil-treated
by the nation. He means to fave his honour by
declaring that he was born a.fubjea of the Ca-
^°'- ^' ^ tholic

filM

i6t T R A V E t; S: TttRouoH

tholic king * ; hut he ought tarefleft that ft
was ^ tht escptnce of France that he travelled
in Jimerkay and that it was in the name of hfe
moft Chriftian majefty, that he anH the Sieiit
Detan tbdfe pofteflloti of the countries which
they hid difcovered. He did mit ftw
to athrafiice, that it wis with the .. ctohffeht of
his* Catholic majefty, his flrfl: fovcreign, that
liif '' dedicated his relitron, to- WiHkm the
Third, king of Great Britain, in which he
folichs that monarch to conquer thefe vaft regi-
ons, and to fend Mil!ionarics thither, to teach
the Indians the Chriftiah religion ; a proceedbg
which excited the ridicule oiP the Catholics, ^nd
fcartdalized the Protcftants, who were ftirprized
to Ifce a pricft who bailed hitnfelf ^ miflionary,
exhort a Proteftjint fbvereign to fouhcJaRomaft
chuifch in 'America. 'All his works ate befidcs
Wt'Ttteh in a pompbtis ftile, wiiich fliocks the
'rekdrt*5'^fid offends him by the liberties which
the attthor takes, and by his indecent Tnye(5Hves.
Father Hennepin thought h6 nright make ulc bf
the privilege of a traveller-, but he has likewife
been much cried doWn by his fcllow-traVeHers,
who have often d^fchred, that he V^as Vi^ry tin-

■'Vdithrul

W'.'/i'

( '^j i.

•itJ u

.'.ii^.

'oi?;:;t

''* Fttheir Hehneppin was a native ol* Douay,

t-6 tj i s' 1 A N A. iti

feithftil irti ^11 his accbunt^. * It . appears that
there' wai mofe i^atifty in fiis** iindertakih

than trtie le^ ih' ihakihg proTelytes in

Whtlft j #ai- ^^fe ^&»ytev bf

the ttati^ft of QftP^ts srrivf^ thferfc j tlieir Matii*
Mr<6r^AIfe deity, was ii dried ferptm:, bf 4
jnd/iftroias fize. Thcfe pebble faid that this
prodigious animal had committed grtat devnC'
tations in their country i that it fwallowed a
tyger-cit ail at once; that confeqiiently they had
deciahid war againft it, aiid ivere gone to at^aefi
it. Th(*y followed it by thfe track, bdt rieithe^
balls VrOr af-ro^s cowld Ji^neti'atfc its bbdyj whicA
"wistoVettA with vfe'ry hard fcales, like tjiofe oi*
a ttocodi'ie. they ItitTc'eeded at laft in |)utting
ititi death fey fllootiff^ Mis and drrbws at itj
tTitieh Bliftded it He" iMi had Icilled If cMei
the mark 'K>)t ^mpw{tl6l^ of" it oti hi§ body, fa the
fame manrier as the Akanzas imprinted the
foe-fcuGk oti my chiih. TH^y make this kA^
*vr g mark ih the following manner, they firft
di-aW winh falac1c> ^of with gun-powdef tlie
ligUl^ b(f the ahirtialbr ol^jea: they mean i^xt^
ppefertt, 6h the fletti i after which they fling, the
fkin ift'the buMirie, ^rth One or Aore nee^Jts
to th& blood i the figure is then lliglkly wadiei

M 2 over

TRAVELS THROUGH

over with a fine fpunge dipt in a folution of rock
ialt, which mixes the blood with the black, con-
ira^ing the (kin which has been ftung, and ren-
ders the figure indelible. TJiIs is riot done with-
out fome pain j but as it is a kind of knighthood
to which they are only intitled by gr^at actions,
they fuffer with pleafure, in order to nafs for
men of courage. Thefe marks of dimn(5iion
multiply in proportion to the fine adions tl^ey
doin war.

If one of them Ibould get hlmfelf marked,
without having previoufiy diftinguifhed himfelf
in battle, he would be degraded, and looked
upon as a coward, unworthy of an honour^
which Only belongs to thofe who gCDeroufly ex-
pofe their lives in defence cf their country. The
Indians only value the fons of Caciques, in as
5*iuch as they are brave and virtuous after th»
example of their fathers and anceftors.

I faw ?h Indian, who,, though he had never
fignalized himfelf in defence of tiie* nation,
however chofe to get a mark on his body, in
order to deceive thofe who only judged froni ap-
pearances. He would pafs for a man of cQursige
with a view to obtaia one of the prettied girls
of the nation in marriage, who, favage as flie was,

: r ' was

L O U I SI A N

w;i« however not without ambition. As he was
on the point of concluding the match with her
•elations, the warriors, full of indignation on
^ing a coward boaft with a mark due c.ily to
militaiy merit, held an iffcMy of chiefs of
v/ar, in Order to punifh fuch audacioufncis.
The council agreed, that, to obviate fuch an
abufe, which would confound brave men with
cowards, he who had wrongfully adorned him-
felf with the figure of a club on his Ikin, with-
out ever having ftruck a blow at war, fhould
have the mark torn off, that is, the place Ihould
be flayed, and that the fame fliould be done to
all who would offend in fte lame cj^fr

As there was no pardon to hope for, his con-
demnation being pronounced by an aft of this
Indian fenate, who i^ 'calous of maintaining the
honour of the nation, I offered, in commifera-
tlon of the poor wretch, to 'cure him in the
French manner; I faid I would take off the (kin
ivnd the mark without hurting him, and that my
remedy would change the blood into water. The
Indians, ignorant of my fecret, believed I jeft-
^d with them : therefore, counterfeiting their
jugglers, I gave the pretended bravo a calabalh
fi'Il of fyrup of the maple-tree, into which I had
put a dofc of opium ; and, whiift he was afleep,

M 3 I ap-

si
Mi

19 ^t

l66 TRAVELS thuovoh

I applied SpanilK flies tp ^he figure pf the club
which hp bore qn his brcaft, and oycf thetn
fomc plantain leaves, which p^nf,4 tvimours*^
the fkin and the mark went oft, and a watery
matter came oiv. TIvr method of proceeding
lurpL-ifed the India)> jugglers, who were i^porunc
of the SpanlOi flics, or Cantharides, \yhich ar^
very common in Nort/t jiMi.ir{ca. Thfy give a.
Tight in night-time j and even the .fmalle|t types
can be read, by lioLding thr in(c6i near tQ the
IfJttcrs, and fbliowiqg the lines.

There is often ^ nmilarity in the maimers of
the Indians and of the Europeans, though they
may appear ever fo different amongfl thcmfelves,
Tl\c following ''xamplc is a proof of it. Ai)
ofFicer belonging to the regiment of the ffie de
France^ having fallc . ;n love with a yo\.i:^g lady at
Paris m 1749, the mother of the lady told him,
that fhe would willingly give him her viaughter>
provided he was adornec) with the crofs of i>f.
Louis. In order toacpeler?to his marriage, love
infpired hin^ with the thought of taking that
diHint^vion from himfelf, which the King alone
cm give away. The lady already looked upon
him as her fon-in-law j bgt a few days after, thq
fallc chevalier is met by an ofiicer of his regi-
ment, who, being before him in the Icrvice, is

furprillnj

U O U Jl h !l A N ;lA.

furprifad to Ice hia^ ObvOJ^ jUbie d'oHj before him*
iclf. The new chcvalicit toW him, that, with
prote(itio;is, one could get at every thmg. The
officer, who knc*v nothing of the other's
views, goes immediately to M. d'Jrsinfon^ and
rcprcfcnts to him» the injufticc done to him^ by
giving the order of St. Louis to his. junior offi%
cer. The miniftcr denies it, and femls for tho
lift of ptX)mocions, in which the officer is not
comprifcd : accordingly he is taken up, and
brought before the tribunal of the Marfhals of
France. A court was held at the hofpita! of
invalids, -wherein Marihal Bielle-ijle. piefided,
The falie chevalier was fcntenccd to have the
crofs taken from him, to be degi'aded> and to
be confined in. a fortreis during twenty years,

The Indian women arc allowed to make marka
all over their body, without any bad confc-
qucnces •, 1 have fcen I'ome of them who had
marks even on their Ucails, tluough that part
be extremely delicate •, but they endure it fjrmly,
like th-; men, in order to pleafe them^ and t9
appear handlbmer to them.

To return to the Manitou of the Ofages^ I
wiflicd tv* have this pretended relic in my pof-
feUion, in order to adorn your coUedion of na-

M 4 tural

m„

168 TRAVELS THROUGH

t al curicfitics with if, I was willing to treat
about it with the Indian pricft who ferved ii,
offering him European goods in return, and re-
preferring 10 him that the adoration of this ani-
inal vas a»^ abufej that he ought, as we do,
to woiliip the Gnat Spirit, or Jut/ior af Nar
ture i but this cunning prieft of the devil, in
owning that his fuperftitious countrymen lored
every thing uncommon, told me, that he ex-
pe<5led to make a great profit of his Manitou \
that, being a phyfician, and a juggler befides, he
could eafily make them believe that his deity eat
with the evil fpirit at night, and that they muft
bring him victuals into his hut, and fine furs to
drefs him out.

Thus this impoftor, by his artful difcourfcs.
gives weight to the errors and prejudices of theie
ignorant people. Thefe fellows make them be-
lieve, that they converfc with the devil at night,
whom the Indians arc much afraid of^ becaufc
he can only do harm ; whereas they fay the Great
Spirit^ being good, can M them no hurt.

I fliall finifh my letter by an account of t^«
tragic death of an Indian of the nation of C-olia*
pifasy who facrificcd himfcif for his fop •, ? ha.^*

atiniirc^'

L O U I S I A N A. 169

admired this heroic deed, which raifes human
generofity to the higheft pitch.

A Chaffawy fpeaking very ill of the French^
faid, that the Coliapiffas were their dogSy i. e,
their flavei^ oae of thcfe, vexed at fuch abufiVe
language, killed th^ ChaSiaw with his gun. The
nation of ChaSfazvSy which is the greateft and
moft Ruirepeus on this continent, armed imme-
diately, and fent deputies to New Orleans to a(k
from the governor the head of the murderer^
who had put himfelf under the proteiflion of tac
French. They oflfercd prelents to make up the
quarrel, but the cruel nation of Chu^aws would
not accept any ; they even threatened to dcftroy
the village ©f CoUapiJfas. To prevent the effii-
fion of blood, the poor unhappy Indian was de*
livercd up to them. The Sieur Ferrand, com-
mander of the German fettlement on the right
ftiorc of the MiJJiJippu was chaiged A^ith this
commiffion. The rcndcz-vous for this p'^rpofe
was given between the village Cc'kpijfa and the
icttlement of the Germans \ an-i the wcnfice
was performed there as follows i

The Indian was called tichou MingOy l e. Ca-
pique*s fervant. «c (^ood upright, ^.,d held a
fpccch, according to ihc cuilom jf the people.

faying,

^79 T R; A V 1 L *S f ihrqugh

frf'

t}m

" fear death ; but, I pity the fat« pi a v?ife.and
" four children, whom I leave behind me ver3F
;*^yaui^, and of my father jjjkI mother, wha
*> are old, *nd fof , whom I g©t .fubfiftonce by
W hunting *, j| isec^-nmend them ta the Frejachu

^tibecawfe I 4ie for having taken their parj.**

1% „ >. ^- . . . . -..,.,,

He had hardfiy fpokei> chel^ftiuftQpd qf thii
fhort and paihetic fpeech, wh?rt his gqod and
lender fatli^ri peaetrated, with his Ton's filial
Jbye> got up* apd fpoke to the following ef&;i5t:
^* Jt ^ throi^g^j' CQurage f that my fon dies v but
Fi being young, and full pf vigour, he is more
M ftt than myfelf to provide for his mother, wife,
.** and four little children i it is therefore neeef*
*hi'ikry he fli^' M ftay on caith to take care of
*s>lhem. -^ oylclf, lam.oi^ar. the end of my

*" career, \ »_ iiwed long enough^ and I wifli my
f^ {on may come to the Tame age, i/i order m
••^ educate my iittie chikireo. I ajTi no longer ftt
.**' for af»y tlwng, ibme years - ot' life mode <w
" le(s ^'e indifferent to me* 1 hav« lived as- «

>,He was tnc heft hunter in the nation.

. t Cowra^ is. a word wkich, in thtu language, fjgrifips
■^bjucUung gicat or exiuorJinary.

L O U I SI A N A. ifi

** man, aiid wilJ die as fiich j thtrtfdrt t^ ia
*^ take his placed." '^arn." ^ - •■

I- • rr,

At thefe words, which exprelTed paternal df-
fedlion in a very ftrong and moving manner,"
his wife, his Too, his daughter-in-law, and theii-
little children, ihed teai^s roupd the brave oW
man ; he embraced them for the laft: time, and
exhorted them to be faithful to the French, and
m dh rather than to betray them by any mean-
nefs unworthy of his blood : at laft he told them,
that his death was a necelTary faqrifice to the na^
tlon, which he was contented and proud to
make* With thefe words he prefented his head
to the relations of the dead aaSfaw, and they
accepted!^: a^cr that he laid himfelf on the
trunk of a tree, and they cutoff his head imme-
diately with one ftroke of a hatchet.

E^/ery thing was made up by this death ; but
t^e young man was obliged to give them his fa-
^er'$ head f •, in taking it up, he faid to it,

'V:.'iH '*-;'»•.

T-r

•' Pardon

^Thcic na%,^s M^' iu: U^ talknu. ^h is avenge<t
\>y death; and u is fniiiiient tp fubllitMte any oneof thpna,

tion, if CVCh he w<ifi not a reU^dn of the criminal ; flavet
only arfrexeepeerf. ' . '

t The y put if on a pole, and carried it as a trophy into
their tnbc, r / vw

■

ifl^H

IBm^^^^^W M^Bf

1%% TRAVELS TrtfcouGH

V*. Pardon me thy death, and remember mc in
" the country of fpirits." AU the French who
affifted at this tragic event were moved to tears,
and admired the heroic eonftancy of this vene-
rable eld man, whofe virtue is equal to that?
celebrated Roman orator, who, in the time of
of the triumvirate, was hidden by his fen. The
latter was cruelly tormented, in order to extort
from him the place where his father was con-
cealed, who, being no longer able to bear that-
fo tender and fo virtuous a fon fliould fuflfer fo
much, came to prefent himfelf to the murderers,
and beggeclthe foldiers to kill him, and to fave
his fon*s life i the fon conjured them to kill
him, but to fpare his father •, the foldiers, more
barbarous than the favage Indians, killed them
both together, at the fame time, and in tho
**ame place.

»»# ■.•»»

M. Ferrand, my fellow-traveller in my hfi:
vcyage to the Illinois^ fell into the MtJ/iftppi in
t!ic fevered feafon, whilft his foldiers were exer-
cifihg J and, at the very fnomcnt that the rapi-
dity of this river carried him into an'abyfs, an
Manza hunter, who was happily on board his
boat, faved him from the precipice. The ofE-
Cf r told him, that he hoped to recompcnfe him
gencioiifly for thU piece df fervice j bui the In-
dian

L 9 U I SI A N Av ijj

dian immediately anfwercd, that he had only
done the duty of a brothec, wIk) ought to fuc-
cour the unhappy in time; of danger; that, as
the Greai Spirit had taught him to fwim like a
fiih, he could ncH: employ his flclll better than
to fave the Uf<;.of his fellow-creature. . ...i „.. }

All the Indians, b^h mtia and women, karo
to f)vim from their infancy* I have often fcetf
the /mothers put their little children into pools of
ir^i);i water, and I took great delight in feeing
the little creatures fwim naturally. Would no|
fuch an education be better than thofe methods
which people are fo fond of in Europe ? The
queftion 1 fpeak of here is of the utmoft confer
quencc, efpecially in a country where almoft eyc^^
ry body goes by water, and on fea-voyages. '%
fliall not enter into thefc details, which migh^
prove tirefome : I fliall only fay, that, accord-
ing to found reafon, the iirft thing ^hich it ii
neceflary to knpw in nature, is how to preferva
one's exiftence j and that it is to be wiflied, that
the European mothers would imitate the A|i^,
ricans in that particular, and likewife in fuck-
ling their own children. This adion, w^ch
is dilated by Mture, would pjcvent m^y aecif-
dent^ with regard to children fuppofed ia bf
Jcguimatc.i and, wifiliout qwoting ^^lany fy^^

ed thls^ptirpdTe'fi^om^the CmtfesXjUdi^^^'^ hWi?
a fdtem Mtampte i before my eyes^- df^ thd t(Stibi^
fionirften,G»^fed iiicfamiiJes by s:b«>f* i^fefoeiiary
uucfiisi ..A igentfcman, who V8*iis^ «i d^cci- «tf
thcifamedhiduhenii tvhich I^wasii^, liftd lort^
been fuppofedtobekjft by hi*ttii4*fei As fodri
fts he was born, he was fent down into the midft
e^I^rmmdyi andhU re\mi6ns ham bniy ichnd
tmi etati-whrei^ &e was ^^eiicy-tiwu ywrs old^
i^ewagh metcehfr^fei a^rhe-ftsid g^fiethtdugb
4 JfeHeS 6f ikiiknits and duk^m' ditmg that

■ftthnm^tr- «hat, Irt *74^;-'fe^t«f tfte -hiyad
between i^flf/j *rtd Arpajon-, I H^aii Wltntefe <tf a#
aticidtot which iKlp$)*ited to 6(fi« '^^Iw little- Vkf^
iSms which parents ^ut from th6i«> in order ndi
to be importuned by theJr tt^s* The nwrfli
ti^hd i(^» ttt«lcd >^i^ Ais' cHild, l^ftdt p&t it Jrt
he«>'af»hWl; is fl^ was fteppinfg Mb «We ^if thdW
dar¥iftges delliheki for theft j<yuttliBj liet ap^aftji
#Rlifch wa» tli^d behind j got uittfedf and tM
thSii fell upon the p»veilientj aft^ fekpired.

^ive hn feavfc tcj fay, thai: thetief !s drf ^ntfi^^
difference b(itv^^(*rf^' tfie way of thirtl^fig of thie^
Eurbpe^n anS" thfc Indiah *v<^oMt4 * fht Mtef
Woiild think -thetiil^yey ^\ifedv tf they^c!ft4:rf
*' leave

how 1 STi'A ^'\&: i^i

kart their dniiidren; to the <ja»r 16^ h n^niin iar
from their ®wn irifpeaion: they nai iiot lafraidi
as fbme European ^»amcr^. limhthoir laufliaiidft
tendcrncfswilldiminifh^ becaufe theyvfc»^boiiit
the tokens of their mutual afFedion; on the
cbntmry^ tlkit ftemp/infcreafds dn both parts^ find
the |>leaiur^ of ifik'ji^ theiraaoejpdcpefcnufttd^ aiid
to fee anotHier^df .giwa« lip; in a iittte creaaJatp*
which thty bron^ intb'tHe Woridy imply ;it*
pays chc tcoubie they havfr of li^poi'cing thctai >

The white women, whom we CiWOreoksiMb;
low in Jmerica the European cuftom, difdaining
to fuckle their own chiidncp i> they give thfcm,
as faan as they 4ns born, i© *. tkmy -or red nave^
without refle<aing, that he? bldbd Way l^ <3^i
rupted. Ma4iy ebte phyfidans }»as^e demoriftw*
ted, that the milk h^s an influcaoe on the ittoMi
nations of the ch uren. I have often feen many
ttn innocent fall a riftfm to the iir^egukr life of
their rturfes in Amenew, ^hich is a cirttimftaitet
fatal to the preparation of the^Tiiim^n fp^ifei.
r leaVe thii fubjea to the gentt(ift^n df the 'fa-
tuity, whaWiHdertamly handle it better tRsft
iiiyfelf.

W WW i iH il

1 concludev by affuring >mth^S;I JW,; 6^^

'iiy ;« niih tu^

/'.i.-Aa

I7« T R A V E L S THROuoft

li iP* aJ, An Indian GouHer; has juft brought us
the agreeable news of the taking of Chdaguen^
and the placci ependcnt on iti upon the famous
lake Ontario. < , . \

I :Thc garrifbii of that place* to the number of
fifteen hundred ijegular troops, have furrendered
prifoners of war j and have accepted the articles
cf capitulation which M. de Mon$eaim has grant-
ed them i that general immediately fent the five
pair of regimental colours which he found in the
place to §l^ebic.

i;;n;. :;,;.;;

^ . i4i»y;

M* RigauJ*; the governor of TVo/V kivieres^
comnlanded the Canadians and Indians ; he had
taken pofiefTioii of an advantageous poft, in or^
dertooppofe ail futcours, and cut off the re-
treat of the enemy, ;

The land troops, thofe of the colonies, the
Canadians, and the Indians, have all equally
diftinguiihed themfclves : we know not yet the
nunibcr of men which the enemies have loft j a|l
;^fjiare heard is, that their gener?il was killed

i4^»V'

l»t

* brother of the Marquis e( Vaudreuil} wfio fetumeJ Inter
.America with the title of Govcrnor-Gcneral of Canada anU
,^>oy FraHft,

^'W

LOUISIANA, iyy

Sit the beginning of the attack : we, on our
fidei have loft but three foldiers. M. de BoUr-
lama^uiy a colonel of foot, has been flightly
wounded, together with feven or eight Cana-
dians ; but unhappily M. Decomble, the engineer,
was fliot by one of oar own Indians^ who took
him for an Englifhman, on account of his uni-
form, which was different from that of the other
French officers.

The Marquis de Montcalm Is now employed in
deftrbying the forts of Choaguen^ and in fending
the provifidns and ammunition, and a hundred
pieces of cannon which have been found there,
to Frontenac,

At the Illinois^ the 21ft
of jfulj iys6.

Vol. L

L E T-

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Sciences
Corporation

33 WIST MAIN STRUT

WIS^TIR,N.Y I4SI0

(716) •73-4903

1^ ^ ^^ %»> '^C\^

^N^^

178 TRAVELS THROUGH

3t!^kj*""^jrfk.

LETTER

IX.

To the fame.

T'he Author fets outs from the Koakias for Fort Char-
tres. His Obfervations on the Population. Ac-
count of a Caravan of Elephants arrived in the
Neighbourhood cf the Ohio.

SIR,

^T^^raCcording to all appearances^, this is the
5g A 2^ laft letter I Ihall write to you from the
k.il^Ji( ^^^i^(>^^ i I prepare to fet out by order
of the phyficians, who have judged it neceflary
that I (hould return to France, to ufc the bath^
of Bourbon^ in order to prevent the bad confe-
quences of a (hot I received, many years ago, at
the aflault of Chateau Dauphin *.

Yeftcr-

This it a fort in PieUmont, at the top of a

mountain of
the

J^ O U I S I A N

179

Yefterday an exprefs arrived here from Fort
du^ene to our commander, who informs us,
that the Englifh make great preparations to come
to attack that poft again. M. de Macarty has
fent provifions to vidual the fort. The Cheva-
Jier^if rUlierf commands it in my ftead, my bad
ftate of health not allowing me to undertake
that voyage j it would have enabled me to exa-
mine the place on the road, where an Indian
found fome elephant's teeth, of which he gave
nie a grinder, weighing about fix pounds and a
half.

In 1735, the Canadians who came to make
war upon the tchicachas (Chickfaws) found,
near the fine river or Ohio, the fkeletons of fe'
ven elephants ; which makes me believe, that
Loui/tana * joins to Afia, and that thefe ele-
phants came from the latter continent by the
weftern part, which we are not acquainted

•^ ^ with :

the AIps^ It was taken the 19th of July ,;^4. under th«
command of the Prince of Conti.

The brigade of Poitou, commanded by the brave M do
Che^m. diftinguifhed itfelf in this aftion by an uncommon
valour, which has been admired by all Europe.

• The Frcnckfet no bounds to the wcftward to Louifi-
wu. F,

%Bo T R A V EL S through

with.: a herd of thcfe animais having loft their
way, probably entered the new continent, and
havir^g always gone on main land and in forefts,
the Indians of that time not having the uf« of
fire arms, have not been able to deftroy thcns
entirely -, it is poffible that feven arrived at the
place near the Ohio, which, in our maps of Loui^
fiana, is marked with a crofs. The elephants,
according to all appearance, wee in a Iwampy
ground, where they funk in by the eR€rfnou4
weight of their bodies, and could not get ouC
again, but were forced to ftay there "*,

In 1752, the Baron Po/neuf, who comtnand*
cd Fort Francois in the country of the Mffotirisi
received the fkin of an animal from the Indians,
which was hitherto unknown in Amerka. ThaC
©fEcer fent it to the Marchionefs de Vaudrmly
who made a muff of it : this creature was about
twice as big as an European fox, and its hair as

fine

• It appears from modern geographical obfervations, that
our author's fiippoiitjon of a migration of elephants is im-
probable and it is further confirmed by th« exPTiination of
the teeth of thefe animals, which archery different from thof«
of the common elephant, and coniequently they cannot be of
the fame fpecies. See Kalm's Travels, vol. I. p. 135.
Philofoph. Tranf. vol. LVIII. aad Fennaat's Synopfis of
Quadrupeds, p. 91. F.

LOUISIANA. i8i

fine and foft sts velvet, mottled with black and
pearly white.

Many authors pretend, that it is po/Tible that
people went through Nova Zemhla, (fituated
northward of the ancient continent) over the ice
to Greenland -, they think, that this is the track
on which thofe went who firft peopled Americay
and that the ftreights which feparate ii from the
continent, has high mountains of ice on its
caftern Ihore : but all thofe who have tried to
go to India through this northern part, have
been eaten by white bears, or have perifhed
amidft the ice.

This is my obfervation on the fubjed : if men
<Jid go through thofe parts to inhabit North Ame*
rica, they probably would have preferred Catta-
d9^ New England^ and Lout/tana, the northern
parts of which are analogous to their country j
whereas it is known, that when the French and
Englifh difcovered North America, there were
but few inhabitants in it i but, on the contrary^
the Spaniards who con^ -red Peru and Mexico,
found kings and emperors, who fet on foot great
armies, and who annually facrificed twenty thou-
fand captives to their falfe deities. Therefore
there is rcafon to believe, that men went from

N 3 tht

i82 TRAVELS through

the wefl to Mexico and Loujiana*. The ele-
phants who came thither are a proof which con-
firms my obfervations-f-. Further, when I afk-
cd the Indians called Sioux des prairies^ who are
a nomadic nation, they told me, that they had
heard other Indians fay, that, to the weftward
of their country, there lived a nation of clothed
people, who navigated on great falt-watcr lakes
with great piraguas ;t j that they inhabited great
villages built with white ftones j that the inha-
bitants obeyed one defpotic grand chief, who
fsnt great armies into the field.

The Mexicans adore idols as the Indians do i
the Natches Indians had a temple, and a kind of
fervice ; in their language intelligent people
have found Chinefe words. Some Indians cut
off their hair, leaving only a tuft a? the crown

* Louijiana formerly touched Canada on the north-eaft, Flo-
rida and the Englijh colonies on thQ eaft, and New Mexico on
the weft fide. Its nprth-weft boundaries were not determined.
See more on this fubjeA in a note to I^alm's Travels, vol. Ill,
p. 125. F.

t But this proof does not hold good. See the note on
f. 180.

X The Indians call the fea a great lake, and the fhip9
Bveait piraguas.

LOUISIANA.

183

of a friar, to which they faften feathers of va-
rious colours. They never cut their nails i and
among the Chinefe it is a mark of nobility to let
the nails grow very long.

If we fuppofe that men went over from our
continent to America, they would have kept their
white colour, fince vve fee, that, during two cen-
turies and a half after Columbus difcovered this
new world, the Europeans who fettled in it pre-
ferve their white complexion from generation to
generation. The animals which have been
found there are entirely different from ours, and
neither Pliny nor any other old naturalift fpeak of
them. We muft be contented with admiring
the works of the Creator, without defiring to
dive into his myfterits *.
^ N ^ I fhall

* This way of arguing is very Itrange, and greatly pro-
motes barbarifm. Man has got reafon for the purpofe, that
truth fhould be the objeft of his enquiries ; and if he fhould
carry them no further, out of fear to dive too deep into the
myfteries of the Creator, this would patronize ignorance
and barbarifm. Many a thing, which feemed too abllrufe,
has been difcovered by an indefatigable application. The
way in which America was peopled, and the manner in
which the fkeletons of great bulky animals approaching to
the kind of elephants came to the river Ohio, are now a my*
Itery, but may one day or other be difcovered by a lucky ac-
cident, or a great and original genius. F.

i84 TRAVELS through

I Ihall add here, by the way, that when the
Spaniards difcovcred the ides of Si. Domingo an4
Cuba^ they found them welj peopled with In-
dians, whom they murdered under pretence of 4
religious principle, but really in order to get
their golc}. Therefore a Capique or petty king
of the ifland, efcapipg from the Spaniards, gave
his people to underhand, that gold was the
deity of their enemies, fmce they came fo far,
and expofed themfelves to fo many dangers, ia
order to get poffcflfion of it \ and that it was ne»
.ceffary they Ihould abandon every thing, in or-
der to be left in quiet. Another Cacique being
condemned to be burnt by the inquifition, was
folicited' by a Jefuit to become a Chriftian, ii>
prder to go to Paradife ; but he openly declared
fie would npt go there, if there were any Spar '
niards in it. Thefe unhappy Indians abhorred
the Spaniards fo much, that they did not even
converfe with their wives for fear of begetting
flaves to fuch mailers : and whenever they eaf
of their flcfh, ii was more through revenge than
any appetite -, for the/ plainly faid, that the flelh
of a Spaniard was good for nothing.

I forgot to tell you in my laft, that I have
|),een invited to the feaft of war, given by the
gr^i. i chief of the Illinois j in order to raife war-

jriprs.

LOUISIANA.

riors, and march with the Chevalier ViUiers^
This gentleman obtained leave from the gover*
nor to raife a party of French and Indians, and
to go with them to avenge the death of hi^ bro^
ther, M. dejumonvilk^ who was killed by thf
Englilh before the war broke out.

The grand chief of the Illinois is cdled Paput^
fe-changouhias 5 he is related to federal Freacb*
men of diftindtion, fettled among thefe people.
This Cacique fucceeded Prince Tamaroas fe^
named Chikagou, who died in 1754. He wcari
the medal of the late Cacique: this Mnois
prince has convinced the French, that he is
worthy of wearing it, by his friendfliip for our
natioij. The detachment of the Chevalier dg
Villiers * being ready to fet out, Papap^changou-*

hias

* The Cfccvalicr dt VilKirtt who commanded this detach-
ment, rauft not be confounded with M. </< Villitrst called
^e Great Villitrst who went to avenge the death of Jumott-
ville immediately after his murder in 1753, See the poem
which the famous M. Thomas wrote on this fu|)jeft.

Of the feven brothers who compofed this family of Vitlien^
fix were killed in Canada in defence of their country. The
Chevalier de Villiers is the laft ; he was taken prifoner in tho
a£lion at Niugara in 1759, being in the party of M. Juiry :
fhis officer had defeated a body of Engliih troops at Fort 4^

i86 TRAVELS through

bias defired to ferve him as a guide with his war-
riors. They left Fort Chartres on the firft of
April 1756, and arrived, towards the end of
May, on the boundaries of Virgima, where the
Englifh had a little fort furrounded with great
pales. The Indians came near it in ti e night-
time, each having a fafcine of refinous combuf-
tiblc wood, which they fet on fire clofe to the
pales of the fort. The Englilh commanding
officer, appearing to give orders for putting out
the fire, was aimed at by an Indian, who killed
him on the fpot. The fame Indian called
out in their language : " Surrender, you Eng-
" lifh dogs, or elfe you fhall be burnt or eaten."
The foldiers, intimated by his threats, and be-
ing without a commander, furrendered at dif-
cretion the next morning ; the Indians then
bound them two by two, like captives, except
the ferjeant, whom one of the Indians found out
to be the perfon who had beaten him with a
ftick in time of peace. The poor ferjeant be-
came the victim of the refentment of thefe bar-
barians, who burnt him without any mercy. I
have already faid, that the Indians never forgive,
and that they think themfelves free and inde-
Den'^^nt : therefore one muit take care not to
ftrike them, for they revenge themfelves fooner
or later. .

The

LOUISIANA. 187

The Englifli prifoners, to the number of for-
ty, talien in the fort, were divided among the
f rench and Indians, who Gripped them accor-
ding to their cuftom, plucked out their beards
and hair, and, at the requeft of the French,
they only mad them flaves. But the French
officers, and the humaneft among the French in-
habitants of the Illinois, joined together, and re-
leafed them, by making a prefent to that nation
who treated their prifoners like dogs, only be-
caufe they were our enemies, and becaufe they
thought of making themfclves great with us *.

From the village of the Koakias we arrived
at the Peorias, allies of the Illinois^ through a
' V ^e meadow, which is twenty-five leagues
' "he favages who were with me, killed

birds with fticks, and called them
K bills. Thefe birds, whofe plumage

is vancu ,/ith many colours, are as good to eat
as the heccafigos in Provence. The Indians told
mc, that they are birds of flight or of paflage,
and that they affemble in flocks every year like

fparrows.

» From a natural kind of antipathy between the two na-
tions, the French take every opportunity to dcprefs the Eng-
Jilh, and to raife themfclves above them, fometimes at the
r*peiw;e of truth, F, .

186 TRAVELS through

fparrows, to feed on the ftrawbrrries in this
meadow, which is red all over with thtm in the
fcalbn. The village of the Peorias is fituated
on the banks of a little river, and fortified after
the American manner, that is furrounded with
great pales and pofts.

When we were arrrived there, I enquire-^ for
the hut of the grand chief ; they brought me to
z great hut, where the whole nation was aflem-
bled, on account of a ^»arty of their warriors,
who had been beaten by the Foxes, their mortal
enemies.

I was well received by the Cacique and his
firft warriors, who came one after another to
fquceze me by the h^'iid in fign of friendlhip,
laying, hau, hau ! which fignifies, you are wel-
iopte, or I am glad to fee you. A young Indian
or a flavc, lighted the calumet of peace, and the
chief gave it to me to fmokc out of, according
to the common cuftom.

After the firft ceremonies were over, they
brought me a calebalh full of the vegetable juice
of the maple tree. The Indians extrad it in
January, making a hole at the bottom of it, and
apply a little tube to that. At the firft thaw,

' they

L O U I

ANA.

iS^

thcv get a little bat.el fail of this juice, which
they boil to a fyrup : and being boiled over again,
it changes into a reddifh fugar, looking like Qt^
iahrian mcnna ; the apothecaries juf^^ly prefer it
to the i«gar which is made of fugar canes. The
French who are fettled at the Illinois have learnc
from :he Indians to make this fyrup, which is ai»
exceeding good remedy for colds, and rheuKia-
tifm^.

At the end of the feflion of this affembly,
they brought a kind of bread which they call
FUahnifte, be'j.i ^-aws, and beavers rails; I
likewife eat of the dog's flelh through complai-
fance, for I have made it a rule to conform oc-
cafionally to ttie genius of the people, with whom
I am obliged to live, and to affba their man-
ners, in order to gain their friendfhip: they
likewife brought in a difh of boiled gruel, of
maize flour, called Sagamite, fweetened with fy-
rup of the maple tree j it is an Indian dilh which
is tolerably good and refrelhing. At the end of
the repafl-, they ferved a defert of a kind of
dry fruits which our Frenchmen call bluets, and
which are as good as Corinth raifins ^ they, are
very common in the Illinois country.

The

190 TRAVELS THROUGH

The next day I faw a great croud in the plain :
this aflembly was for making a dance in favour
of their new Manitou ; the priefts were di-efled
in a remarkable manner : their bodies were co-
vered with a clay in whxh they had made
burlefque drawings, and their faces were painted
red, blue, white, yellow, green and black. The
high prieft had a bonnet of feathers, like a
crown on his head, and a pair of horns of a
wild goat, * to fet the feathers off. I own the
appearance of this prelate tempted me to laugh ;
but as thefe ceremonies are ferious, one muft
take care, not to burft out, becaufe it would be
reckaned a want of r'^ligion, and an indecent
adtion amongft them : nor do the Indians ever
interrupt the Roman Catholics, in the exercife
of religion. But what a fight prefented itfelf
to my eyes -, I faw a living monller confidered
as a divinity : I was at the door of the temple
of this falfe deity -, the mafter of the ceremo-
nies begged me to go in •, I was not yet fuffici-
cntly acquainted with their cuftoms, and fhewed
fome reludlance, but one of the Indians who ac-
companied me, perceiving it, told me, that if I
did not go in, the people would take it as an of-
fence.

«*' Thefe animals are found at the MifouriSf their horns are
of a Jinc black, .inU bent backwiuUs.

W '^

.-m

LOUISIANA, igi

fence, or at leaft as a contempt. This difcouric
determined me and I went in * : this is the pic-
ture of their Manitou ; his head hung upon his
ftomach, and looked like a goat's, his cars were
like a lynx's ears, with the fame kind of hair,
his feet, hands, thighs and legs were in form
like thofe of a man: this falfe divinity feemed
to be about fix months old, the Indians found
it in the woods at the foot of a ridge of moun-
tains, called the mountains of Sai»te Barbe^
which communicate to the rich mines of Sanil
Fe in Mexico, The general affembly was called
together on purpofe to invoke the protcftion o/
this monfter againft their enemies.

I let thefe poor people know, that their Ma-
nitou was an evil genius, as a proof of it, I
added, that he had permitted the nation 'of
Foxes, who were thei»- mofl cruel enemies, to
gain a vidory over fome of their countrymen -,
that they ought to quit him as foon as poffible,'

and

* The mailer of the ceremonies, or prieft, that u ap-
pointed to guard the temple, before he made his offerings,
anointed his body with rofm ; he then ftrcwed the foft fea-
thers of a f>van, or the hair of a beaver all over this melted
gum, and in that ridiculous plight he danced in honour of
^e falfe deiry.

tgz TRAVELS tHR6UGif

and be revenged on bini. They anfwercd, fika'
hbe^ koue nigue\ i. e. we belkve thee, thou art in
the right. They then voted that he fhould be
burnt, and the great prieft pronounced his fen-
tence* which, according to the interpreter's ex-
planation, was conceived in thefe terms : ** Mon-
** fter^ arifen from the ej'crements of the evil
•* fpirit, to be fatal to our nation, who has
wrongfully taken thee for her Manitou ; thou
haft paid no regard to the offerings which we
** have made thee, and haft allowed our enemies,
** whom thou doft plainly proted, to overcome
** a party of our countrymen, and to make
^* them flaves : therefore our old men aflembled
" in council have unanimoufly decreed and with
** the advice of the chief of the white warriors,
"that to expiate thy ingratitude towards us,
" thou flialt be burnt alive.'* At the end of
tliis fentence all the aftembly faid, hou^ hou^
hou^ hou»

«c

As I wiftied to get thismonfter, becaufe I
could not get that fnake I fpoke to you of be^
fore, I took the following method : I went to
the prieft, made him a fma!l prefent, and bid
my interpreter tell him, that he Ihould perfuade
his countrymen, that if they burnt this evil ge-
cius, there might arifc one from his alhes which

woulc)

LOUISIANA.

could prove fatal to them ; and that I would go
on purpofe a-erofs the great lake in order to de-
liver theni of it. He found my reafons good^
and by means of the little prefent I gave him,
he got the fentence changed^ and he was ordered
to be killed with clubs j As I deHred to have
the moiifter, without being mutilated, I inforn>
ed them that they muft deliver it to niy people,
who would ftrangle It j for if any of their na-
tion killed it, foinc misfortune of other might
happen to him from it* fhey (till approved
my realbns, and delivered the animal to me, on
condition that I lliould carry it far from theif
country. It was accordingly ftrangled j but
having neither fpirits of wine nor brandy to pre*
ferve it in, I was obliged to get it diflearcd, ift
order to be able to bring it to France* to fatisf/
your curiofity in regard to fubjefts of natural
hiftory ^.

I Ihall finifli this letter by another account
of the fuperftition of thcfe people, and of the
divine fervice they give to horrid animals. In

Vol. I. o 1755

^ • The llcelcton of this monfter, or falfe divinity, is tiow
in the natural hiftory cabinet of M. de FayolUs, clerk of
the rffice of the American colonies belonging to tlM
ri«nch.

[94

TRAVELS THROUGH

1756 there arrived jl deputation cf Indians at
Fort Chartrej, of the nation of Miffouris * \
there was an old woman among them, who
pafltd for a magician ; (he wore round her naked
body, a living rattle fnake, whofe bite is mor-
tal, if the remedy is not applied the moment
after.

This prieftefs of the devil, fpoke to the fer-
pent, which feemed to underftand what fhe faid :
I fee, faid flie, thou art weary of flaying here ;
go, then, return home, I fhall find thee at my
return: the reptile immediately ran into the
woods, and took the road of the Mijfouris. If
I had been inclined to be fuperftitious, I Ihould
have told you that I had feen the devil appear
to thefe nations under the figure of a fnake.
Many Mi/Tionaries have been willing to perfuade
us in their relations and edifying letters, that the
devil appears to thefe people, in order to be
adored by them, but it is eafy to fee, that there
)s nothing preternatural in it, and that it is a
mere juggle.

You

* A nation living to the weftward of Louijimat on a ri»
ver which beaas their name, and falls into the Mijjiftppi.

L O tJ 1 S t A K A.

'^5

Yoii know Ijefldes, that all animals, evett thfe
moft fefocioias, are tamed By man, I do not pre-
idkd to fay that the fnakc of the {Jretebded
Witch went into her country. All I can tell you
Is, that I always had a vfery great antipathy
againft thefe animals^ and thait When I meet
With therfl, I take a pleafure in crufhing their
heads.

I temember, that in the village of the Pian-
fukhias, a natiori allied to the IlHnois, one of
bur Ibldiers was very near getting into a very
bad fcrapc. He went into an Indian hiit and
found a live fnake, v^hibh he killed with a
hatchet, not knowing that tlie mailer of the
hut had made his Manitou of it. The Indian
arrived at the fame time in a terrible paflion to
find his deity dead ; he aflerted that it was the
foul of his father, who died about a year be-
fore ; he having fhot two ferpents which were
pairing upon the poiht of a rock, fell fick and
died loon after:

g trou-

The imagination Of the old man bein^
i)itd by the height of the ftvcr, he thought he
faw the two frtakes coming to reproach him with
their death •, he therefore recommended it to his
Ibn in dying, never to kill any of thefe ani-

O a mals.

1^6 TRAVELS through

mals, fearing that they would likewife be
the caufe of his death*. Knowing the
genius of thefc people, I advifed the fol-
dier, whom the Indian looked upon as one
who had flain a deity, to pretend to be
drunk, and to do as if he would kill me
and his comrades. The Indians, not know-
ing that it was only a farce, were the
firft to cry out, that .the white warrior -f- had
loft his wits. I afked for cords to tic him ;
and as I feemcd very angry with him, the
chiefs and the warriors came to intercede for
him, faying that it was a man who had loft
his fenfcs by drinking ; that the fame often
happened to the red men: in order to give
more colour to the impotture, I waited yet for
the Cacique*s wife to beg me, and appeared
pacified in deference to her fex, which I re-
fpefted very much.

I prefented the mafter of the fnake with
a bottle of brandy, to drown his grief. The

Indians

* I have fccn .1 peafant in France, who had killed an owl
on his neighbour's roof; and his father dying fome time af-
ter, he believed that his death was caufcd by that bird of ill
prcfage.

f So they call our foldiers.

LOUISIANA. 197

Indians are exceffively fond of this liquor, and
grow furious when they have drank too much
of it. After their drunkennefs is over, they fay
that they have neither fpoken nor done any
thing, and attribute all their follies to the brandy
believing to juftify their condufl by acknow-
ledging that they had loft their wits. When a
drunken Indian kills another, the death is not
revenged. But thefe people take care feldum or
never to drink all at once, thofe who are fober
keep in bounds the reft, and the women hide
both offenfive and defenfive weapons. Brandy
may be reckoned among the pernicious things
which have contributed towards the depopula-
tion of North America : this liquor makes men
brutes, and often kills them. I have fometimes
feen drunken Indians kill each other with
hatchets and clubs.

1 am now ready to leave r\\t 'Illinois, and ex-
pea: to be in New Orleans in January 1757.
This letter fets out in a piragua, which M. de
Macarty fends with difpatches to the governor.

i am, &c.

At the Illinois, the loth
November 1756.

O 3

.LET-

t$? TRAVEL^ TH^p^QH

I. E T T E R X.

To the fame.

the Author haves fheUlinoii: His Navkation down
the MJJiJippi : he encamps in an IJland formed by,
that River,. His Soldiers make him Governor,
cf it.

->- 4't---;V

SIR,

F^^X^P'^OU inquire, whether the Indians have
^ V Q] captains amongft them, and whether
bt^^S ^l^^y ^^? governed by a king ? The
time I have (pent among them procures me the
pleafureof fatisfyingyour curiofity on that head.
You muft know, then, that they are divided in-
to tribes or nations, each of which is governed
by a petty king or Cacique, who only depends
on the Great Spirit^ or Supreme Being ; thefe
Caciques reign defpo'tically, without making their
authority odious, and know how to make them-

ielves

LOUISIANA.

199

felves refpefted and beloved. They likewife
have the fatisfadion of being regarded by thck
fubje6ts almoft as demi-gods, born for the hap-
pinefs of this world ; for they have the tender-
Jiefs of fathers for the people of their tribe ; and
that name, flatters them much more than all the
pompous titles of the Grand Signior or the Great
MoguL t Whofe Afiatic emperors are often expo-
fed in their extenfive dominions to revolutions,
by which their life is endangered ; for often tri-
butary kings rebel againft them, and kill them
with their whole family.

The crime of high treafon is unknown among
the Americans ; the chiefs and Caciques go every
where without fear. |f any one fhould be bold
enough to attempt any thing againft their lives,
he would be punifhed as a horrible monfter, and
the whole family of the murderer would be ex-
terminated without mercy.

As to the captains or chiefs of war, who com.
mand their armies againft their enemies, this
poll is occupied only by fuch as have given fig-
nal proofs of courage in defence of their coun-
try in feveral combats ; and as the generals go
naked, as well as the other Indians, the marks
of wounds they bear upon their body are fuffi-

4 cient

too

TRAVELS

T H U O y G H

cient to diftinguifh them from the reft, and fervo
inftead pf teftiiponials to jhem.

The old men, whp cannot go to war any
inorc, are riot ufelefs to the nation. They hold
fpeeches, and the peoplp hear them as oracles,
Every thing is dope as they advife it ; and the
young men fay, "that they having lived longer
than themfelves, niuft of courfe have more ex-
perience and knowledge. When I admired the
Gounrenance which thefe old men enjoyed, they
told me, that fince they .could no longer fight
for their country, they taught others to defend
it. The warriors, wiien they return from an
expedition, never fail to throw part of the booty
into the huts of thofe old men, who iiave ex-
horted them, and excited their courage. The
prifoners of war are always given to the oldeft
people in the nation, who make them their
flaves. The old warriors whp cannot go to war
any more, harangue tlie foldiers. The orator
begins with (Irikmg againft die poft with a club,
^nd mentions all the fine aclions he has done in
war, that is, how many fcalps he has taken from
difFerpnt nations. Xhp hearers anfwer, /lau, hau,
\. e. that is true. The Indians abhor lying,
jjnd fay that a liar is not a true man,

1'Iic

L O U I S I A N A.

20I

The old fpeaker begins his difcourfe, and
fays : « If I were younger and more vigorous,
" to conduat you againft our enemies, as I have
" formerly done, you fliould fee me go on the
" tips of my toes. Go my comrades, as men
" of courage, and with the heart of a lion * ;
" never Ihut your ears, fleep like hares, go
" like the roe-buck, do not fear the coid, nor
" hefitate to go into the water like ducks ;
" when you are purfued, hide well your retreat.
" Above all, do not fear the arrows of your ene-
" nies, fhew them that you are true warriors
** and men. Laftly, when you find an oppor-
« tunity, ufe all your arrows on the enemy, and
" after that break in upon them with your clubs
" in hand ; ftrike, flay, and extirpate ; it is
" better to die fighting than to be taken and
*' burnt."

At the end of this harangue, the old warrior

prefents the calumet to the Tacha-Mngo, that is,

the general or chief of _ war, and to all his ofH-

.cers, who fmoke it, each after their rank ; and

all thofe who have not yet been to war come to

fmoke

■•' An hyperbole no Indian in America would maice ufe of,
not knowing that creature, which is not to be met with in
»Jtjat country. jF^

202 TRAVELS THROUGH

fmoke it, by way of cnlifting themfelves ; they
dance the dance of war, and, after that ce/emo-
ivy, they diftribute dog's flefh, which, as 1 have
already obfcrved, is a.di/h principally approprir
ated to warriors \, .

M. du Tijfenet ^P|d jne of an accident tbathap^
pened to his father, wjio was one of the firfl offi-
cers that came to L(iu\fima with M. de Bienville*
M.dii T'i£hut being at an Indian nation, toge-
ther with iome Frenchmen who carne to barter
goods ; the Indians wanted to fcalp them ; M.
du Tijenet had learqt their language, and heard
their difcourfe, and a.« he wore a wig, he took
it from his head, and threw it on the ground,
faying from time to tinie, You will have my
fcalp, take it up, if you dare to do it. The
aftonifl-.ment of thefe people was inexprefllble,
for M. du Tijfcnet had got his head fhaved a little
before this happened; he toM them afterwards,
that they were very much in the wrong to at-
tempt to hurt him, for he dnly came to make

• Tt is very remarkable, that, when the ancient kings of
Macedonia performed the luftration of their armies, a dog
was killed, and divided into two parts, and th*e whole army,
with the king at their head, went through the two halves of
the dog. F.

LOUISIANA,

ao3

^n alliance with them ; that, if they compelled
|iim, he would burn the water in their lakes and
rivers, to hinder them from failing, and fet fire
to their forefts ; he got a little pot, and put
(ome brandy in it, and fet it on fire with a
match •, the Indians, who were noi yet acquaint*
cd with brandy, were amazed 5 at the fame
time he took out of his pocket a convex glafs,
and let fire ,to a rotten tree by means of the fun!
Thefe people really believed, that the officer
had the power of burning their rivers and their
woods J they carefied him, loaded him with pre*
fents, and fent him home well efcorted, that no
one might do him any harm. Since that time
M. de Bienville has made ufe of M. du tiffenei m
feyeral negoci? .is towards making alliances
with the Indians. ►

M. du njfeneth adventure puts me in mind of
that of an Italian, who was in the fuite of M.
roniy, the then governor of Fort Louis amon<^
the Illims. This Italian fet out from thence by
land, to join M. de la Salle, to whom he could
have been very ufeful, by teaching him the road
which he was to take in order to come to the
^Mpph if he could nave been with him in
pme -, he likewif^ faved his life by a fingular
ftratagem. Some Indians being wilh.ig to^kill

him,

204 TRAVELS through

him, he told them they were much in the wrono"
m attempting to deftroy a man that bore them
all in his heart. This difcourfe amazed the Bar-
barians i he afllired them, that, if they would
give him time till the next morning, he would
convince them of the truth of what he had af-
ferted ; adding, that if he deceived them, they
fliould do what they pleafed with him. Then,
fixing a little mirror on his breaft, the Indians,
who were much fuprifed to fee themfclves, as
they imagined, in the heart of this man, grant-
ed him his life.

I have commanded the convoy in defcending
the river, which M. Aubri brought up : M. de
Macarty truiled theEnglifh prifoners to my care
to bring them to New Orleans ; they are the
fame wliich the Chevalier de Villicrs and the In-
dian chief P apcchangouhia took. I have made
hafte to come to the capital before the thawing
of the ice, which breaks loofe in the northern
rivers, and follows the current ; I ran the ri(k
of being ftopt by it, if I had not given orders
for rowing as hard as pofTible; I even made ufe
of the Englifli prifoners to relieve my foldiers :
as every one has an equal right to his life on fueh
occafions, the officers like wife lent a helping
Jiand, to encourage the crew.

After

L p U I S I A ^7 A. 205

After pafllng the rocks at Prudhomme *, there
are no others in tk^ Mijp/ippi ; and when there
are feveral boats, they are faftened together,
and go down with the current day and night.
There is only one man at the helm, and one at
the head of every boat, to take care of the
floating trees. It is a pleafure to go down this
fine river : the fame diftance which, in going
up, takes three months and a half, in defcending
is performed in ten or twelve days, when the
water is high in the river.

I muft not forget to mention, that on the
firft of January the foldiers come in the morning
to wifh their officers a happy new year , who ge-
nerally return the civility by a prefent of bran-
dy. I was juft encamped on a little ifland about
two leagues in circuit, fituated on one of the
branches of the Miffiftppi, which I was defcend-
ing. This ifle was furrounded with very tall
trees. A facetious gafcoon foldier, as thofe of
this nation generally are, gave his comrades to

' under-

• Thefe rocks form the ftiores of the Miffljippi^ which are
on both fides like walls of five hundred feet high. Formerly
there was rhe Fort Prudhomme in this place, fo named from
a fellow- 1 ellcr of M. de la Salle, who died there, and
occufioned the fort to be called after him.

±o6 TRAVELS THkoudit

((

underftand that they might 'get an extraordinary"
new year's gift if they would perform the cere-
mony of receiving me governor of the ifland.
The ferjeant approved this droll thought, and
Immediately gave his orders for it. He began
with graving my .lame on the bark of a tree, or-
dered the fwivels to be charged with powder;
and made the troops appear in arms. The
drummer beat a whirl, and the ferjeant as maf-
icr of the ceremonies, taking off his hatj faid
in the king's name *, ye tygers, wolves, bears^
oxen, Hags, roe-bucks, and other animals of
•* this illand, fhall acknowledge our commander
*' as your governor, and obey him in all that he
" he fiUiU command you for his fervice ;" one
of the foldiers then fired the fwivels of the
boats, which were accompanied with a general
falute from the fmall arms. The fudden ex-
plofion of thcfe fire arms, fiightened the wild
oxen, who went into the river in order to fwim
through it and to i2;ain the continent : the fol-
diers went af jr them in ? piragua and killed
four of them, together with two roe-butks that
jult reached the fliorc, and prefented them to
mc as my properr;/, which obliged me to flay
here in order to dry the flefh for confumption,

during

• Dc ^ar L Rci,

f^r

LOUISIANA*

iof

^unng the remaining paftof our voyage. In order
to take advantage of thefunoimyfoldiers, which
I took good care to reward immediately, I had
a mind to vifit the interior parts of my govern-
ment : but I was hardly gone half a league,
when I faw a bear, who was quietly eating
acorns under a great oak : I fired my piece at
ftim, but the ball only went into the lard of the
animal, which was monftroufly fat ; as foon as
he felt the wound, he wanted to come up to
me, but he was too heavy to run ; then feigning
to run from him, I drew him towards my fol^
diers, who foon furroundcd and killed him as
guilty of felony and rebellion. They held a
court martial, ^v^here the ferjeant prefided. The
corporal, who aded as the king»s attorney-ge^
neral, gave it as his opinion, that in order not
to rum the fine coat of the bear, who had re-
volted againft his mafteV, he (houlJ only be
fl^ot m the head, which was pundually ex-
ecuted. '

He w:is then flayed, ^nd I have taken his
fl<in, which is a very black one, and which I
Ihall not relinquiHi, any more than Hercules did
that ot the Nemean lion which he conquered".

The

ao8 TRAVELS rHRouGH

The foldiers melted the fat, and got above
^ one hundred and twenty pots of oil from it * ^
you mufl. know that the bears come put of their
holes as foon as the fruits begin to ripen, and
they do not go in again till they are all eaten up.
They then (lay in their retreats till the next fea-
fon, and neither eat nor drink during that in-
terval ; their greafe is the only thing they feed
upon, by fucking their paws. It is dangerous
to meet a lean one without company. The In-
dians make a great trade with bears' fkins, and
treat their friends with their paws and torgues >
they have often regaled me with them on my
voyages, and I found them extremely good.

I dired this letter to Campeach^ to M. de Jrra-
gory, the agent of the French marine, who will
fend it to CadiZy from whence it will come fafer
to you than by our veflels, as Spain is not at
war with England : I do not write duplicates of
this letter, befides, I hope to fet out for Europe
next April.

I am, S I R, &c. &c.

At New Orleans, the i^th
of February 1757.

L E T-

* Pears oil is very good to cat, in Louiftana they make ufe
of it for fallad, for frying, and for fauces, and prefer it to
hog's lard. The pot holds about two quarts En^^liili.

«**;,«rf

i- o t; I $ 1 A tj A.

269

LETTER

To the Same,

the Author fits out for Europe. He fights an
Engli/h Privateer, He embarks at Cape Fran-
pss on a Fejfel helonging to a Fleet of twenty :fiie
Merchantmen, which were almojt all taken in
his Sight by Privateers, Taking of a little
yeffel from the Enemy, Arrival at Brejl,

SIR,

gXX'J^AVlNG found no vc/Tel here to re-
35^ H ^ turn to France, I was obliged to go on
kJOOflCJ board the brigantine Union fitted out

as a Hoop of war. and commanded by captain
Gau^eanjho is well know for having taken
fivcEnghfh Ihips during the war, on his voyage
from France to Louiftana,

Vot. I.

2IO

TRAV.E;LS THROUGH

We fet fail from the Balife on the firft of April
1^57, for Cape Fra»fois. On the 20th of April
being in fight pf Turk*s i{iind\ m^ p^-*
ceived a ihip, which we Tuppbled to belong to
the enemy; Ihe chafed us at night, and be-
ing a prime failer, came up with us jn three
hours* time : the Englifh' privateer faluted us
with a bullet from his cannon, and called out to
us to furrender to the king- of England ; to
which we returned a broadfide, and a volley of
the fmall arms ; after which I haled him to
ftrike his colours for the king of France, or
elfc he fliould be funk ; the privateer finding
that he had to meddle with a dealer io bullets,
made off, and got among the rocks near
Turk's iftand, hoping to. draw us nearer to the
(here, where we might have been loft. But our
captain, who was very prudent, and a good ma-
riner at the fame time, faw the fnare whiih was
laid for him -, therefore, inftead of followiogthn
privateer, he continued his voyage, and we hap.-,
pily arrived in the harbour of Cape Franf4iis on.
the firft of May. There we found the fquaclron
of M. cic BeaufremotJt^ deftined for the fuccours of
Canada^ having on board M. de Bart, wihoni the
king had appointed governo. and lieutena|it-ge-

neral

M » f

* L'ifle Tur^ue,

L O U I S 1 A N A. 2ti

lieral on the ifle df St. Domingo. My firft care
Oft going on Ihore was to pay my refpefts to
him. That general, who is always ready to
ferve unfortunate officers, prevented my cares,
by difpatching me fbur days after my arrival,
and fparing me the expence I ftiould have been
at if I had ftayed on this irtand, he procured me
a free paffige at the king»s expence, as a fleet of
twenty-fix merchantmen were ready to fail for
France, under the convoy of M. de Beaufremont,
who brought them as far as the Cay^ues iflands,
where he left them, in order to proceed on
his deftination according to the orders of die
court.

I muft tell you that I preferably chofe a Bor^
deaux veffel, called the Sun, captain Odouoir ;
(imitating the Indians, who indeed make a divi-
nity of the fun). But the event has Ihewn that
I was very happy in my choice ; for almoft all
the veflels which compofed the fleet have been
taken in my fight. Only four arrived in France,
the Sun was the firft : flie came to Brefi in forty-
five days, after taking an Englifli fliip in the la-
titude of the Newfoundland bank. I landed at
Breji the fifteenth of June 1757, and immcdi-
, ately waited on the Count du Guai, commander
Of the marines in this port •, I thenpaidavifit to

^ ^ M.

ill TRAVELS through

M. Hocquartj the counfcllor of ftate and In-
tendant of the marine in this department, whom
I informed of the death of M. Aul^ervUle, who
had fucceeded for a time to M. Michael de la
RouvilUere^ as commiflary general of the marine,
and regulator of the provifions of* Louiftana.
M. Hocquart was known for his probity when he
was intendant of New France •, it is certain that
he came back from thence indebted forty-thou-
fand livres, which the king, contented with his fer-
viccs, has made him a prefent of; a fine example
for M. Bigoiy his fucceflbr •, but if he has not
brought back treafures from his adminiftration,
he has at leaft the fatisfaftion of paffing for one
of the gallanted men of his rank : he has been re-
gretted by aU - the Canadian?, and even by the
Indians, who, as I have already faid, know how
t^d^iftinguiih merit.

On owning to this gentleman, that I had no
money to go to court with, he was fo kind as to
ordcF M. Gaucher^ clerk of the treafurcr of the co-
Ionics to give me fome. He likewifc offered me
his table during my {lay in this town, which
I intend to leave the twcnty-fccondof this month.

You

' " — " — ■——II 11 II I I < I i> — — ^, r »

* Oi'donnateur.

!• O U I S I A N

213

You will, perhaps, be amazed to hear, that
in the fpace of e'ght months, I have fecn two
winters, two fummers, and two fprings •. I (hall
now explain it to I wrote to you, that I

left the niinois at the e..d of December, 1736,
when the Milj:jippi began to freeze, and defcend-
ing that great river, I came to Neiv Orleans in
January 1757, the climate of which is comparable
to that of the Hierian idands, where our regi-
ment was in 1744. That is, it was the fcafon
of gardening or fpring. I left Loui/tana the
firfl: of April 1757, and came to Cape I^ranfois
the firft of May, and found fummer there : I
embarked for Europe on the fourth, and after
coming out of the Bahama Channel yft met with
fpring > continuing our voyage to the great
fands of Newfoundland, wc faw on the twcnty-
fecond, at fun-rifing, a floating mountain of
ice, which at firft we took to be a fail ; but
the keen air coming from it convinced us at
laft that it was a piece of ice from the frozen
ocean. On the fifteenth of Junp 1757, we
came to Breft, where we found .ummer. This
therefore is a pretty extraordinary cafe.

I am, SIR, &c. "

At Brefi, , . ,3//;
of June 1757,

L5; T

2ci4 TRAVELS throucm

^'H, !«C5eC r^ 5^)9C r>^ M3ec
3nu*{ )ec:8C kjMl 3^:^ kj«( ^:e(

}0Ca munt

t E T T E R XII.

^0 the Same,

f^^ Juthor arrives at Courts receives a Gra^
tification from the King, and an Order

to go to Rochefort. He emhrkf there for
Loiiijiana,

s r R,

?n^)§C'^AM now once more at Rochefort
Q I S from whence I failed for houifianay
k.i§CleCj«^ ^^^^ y^ai*s ago. I come from the
court, where I prcfented to the cotpptroller
general and minifter of the marine, M. de
Moras, the governor's letter, which explains
the motives of my voyage. He was fo
kind as to fpeak with me in his cabinet,
in prefence of M. de U Torte^ chief of

th^

tK* boa*d of ' plantations. Htf ^ q'utfftiiemcd
nns ■ cm- • the prefent ftate <yf Louijknk Si
^Urdd^ tfe^ miftiftef that I had M irf otw-
iritei*€ft atl^ . the naition* of that vaft con-
tirtfe6ty which I hid: vlfited, and- met thb
Cherokees were come to treat of pea«^' with
the French." teMScewite^ed me, whether
I thought the colony could be attacked. I an-
fwered that there was little probability of the Eng-.
lifli attempting to attack it, on account of the •
dif?iculty of coming in through the mouth of
the MiJJi/ipp at the fort of Balife j and that
the colony wanted no other fortifications, than
thofe which nature had provided it with.

M. de Moras obtained fo** me from the
king a gratification of a thoufand livres in order
to enable me to go to the waters which my
health required I fhould take j after which I re-
ceived an order from his majefty to go back to
Louiftana, and continue my fervices there j
therefore I came hither without lofs of time
in order to embark j we intend to fet fail as ■
foon as the convoy will be fitted out for Cape
Breton. •

M. Druis Imbuto fucceeds M. Normant de

Mc/i, as Intendam of the marine. The kincr

' . P 4 could

$l6 TRAVELS THROUGH

could not choofc a better perfon both op acw
<50um: of his tbilitie?, an4 of hb integrity,
and Ukcwifc on account of his zeal for the
king's intcrca: in this important place. This
intendant made mc the fame offer as his pre-
^ccfflbn

I am, S I R, ^c.

^t Roehcfsrt^ the i ith
of September 1757.

i. #

LET-

I* O U I S I A N A.

217

:: yr

LETTER

Tc the fame.

XIII.

r^ ^/^r leaves Rochefoit; he meets with three
EngUJh Merchant-Ships^ taken by M, de Place.
f>f fmhich ona w • lurnt and another funk. He

, Jops «/ the yU of Grenada. Navigation along
Jamaica, .

iS I R,

Wr^ Wrote to you from Roehefort, that we
35 I Jg intended to let out in December 1757.
k^HTjif but the convoy deftincd to fuccour
^ f.- ^r^w having in part been taken by the
Englifli fleet, we were obliged to fit out ano-
ther. During that time a fquadron often great
Englifli men of wair having alarmed the coaft of
Ams, that has retarded us till the month of
May, This fquadron difappearing^ wc fet fail
pn the. tci>th of U>c fame month.

I was

»;S T R, A y IS L S; TJJRQVCH

I was on board the King's frigate La Fortune^
t<peK^ widtcN*. Je,R()ckemm comjniffety-gfe-
ii€f«iir-«f tfe mfttiije, .. and erdommteur of the pft#
vince of Louiftana. M. de Place^ a captain of a
man of war, commanded the Eopalme frigate of
thirty gunjs^ deflinqd fpr qur qonycjy :, »we met
with three Englilh vefTels on our voyage, which
only coft us thre? cannon-fhot. M. de Place
funk one of them, and burnt the other, after
taking the crew and the goods out of them. As
ttotbe^ third, it cSmfe from tft cbai ot Gtinta^
wa* richfy kdcn, awd harf on- board "four fit^n-
<lr«d and forty itegrws, who wei^inpkrt ©Id
to the iflc of Gi'enada. Thc'Bki«bit rf(f Bormthft^
who has juft been appointed governor of' ^kis
irtand, entertained us very gcneroufly and po-
litely during our ftay there. We remained '
there till the twenty-fecond of July,^ w^eif we
(iukd for lAuifiam^ fcecf ingakngft^of ;?feilli^
CO, to avoid th«gfeatihipBof |h«r«.w»mjr, wlpic!fc(*
ivvcr cxfnm t(}*thp^ (hpre^; w«.tPok tha; om^c
iq order tp ^ccQiv* the %y, 4nd:-WC.IiiariW H^?v
R^y at the mon^hi of tie Migffipf^^m) rte ttwf Iftl^
of AwgW".,., A^;iit.ii{A & ^*i5;i ji-ilj ynn /U .\ji\i

M ^ kochemte *, an honerf ordonnitettr. wild

ii. very zealous for the interc^^ ,of tjjc King, wijl

J ... 4 . have

° ii n tajii^a*— f.iM>.^^jii ^ia-A— ■ -—-.Ait

.J* The brother of a M. RocAmert who is now commodore.

have a great deal of trouble in reforming the
abufesthat have crept into tke ro^agetnti^ ff
tie fcwiooy's affairs, fiaccjthc viac; mi diirii%
our voyage, I fo/etold him, that he would be
much difturbed in his adminiftration : what I
forefaw rcaliy happened ; s^d by tl^ {s^rnc fhips
which brought us hither, the court has been
prejudiced againft him, with a view to deprive
him of his place. • i was but juft arrived at New
Orleans, when the governor gave me orders to
prepare to go with a detachment to the AUibamon^
an Indian nation two hundred and fifty leagues
from the capital. I take advantage of the op-
portunity of the King's fhips, which will failifor
JFrance at the end of the year; and I write
to you by duplicates, that if one (hip be, tal^n,
you may get the letter by the other. When I
fhall be informed of the manner* of the nttieni
which 1 flwH paf& through, and which ar« fitvm,
ted^ to the eaft of Nm Orkam, I fliall ddcrib^
that country to you, ^vhich is recfconed very fine
and very good. ' , ^.'..* : . . ,/

^ Ne^6t^ahs^ tHi i4fh '" oV,

JL E T

«20 TRAVELS THRouoK

LETTER XIV.

To the fame.

The Juthor departf from New Orleans for the
Allibamons. His Navigation on the Lake Pont-
chartrain. Short Defcription of Mobile.

* I R,

SlJsf V"'

Kjf ^P*? Left New Orleans on the fourteenth of
I jj December, according to M. de Kerle-

IScillii ''^'^'s orders, aiid fct out for the ^/&*-
bumons, I failed from the little creek of St, Jean^
which is fitiiatcd in the lake Pontchartrain.
There is a portage of about a quarter of a mile
from New Orleans to this creek*, which is about
two leagues long i the winds were favourable tc
us, and on the twentieth of December 1 arrived

_ * JBttyour, a fmall inlet where the tide goes up.

««; ■■i«»-i_

LOUISIANA.

Z2I

at the bay and fort of Mobile, which is Hfty
leagues diftaiit from the capital.

The Mobile was formerly the chief fettlemcnt
in Laujtanay and the rcfidence of the governor,
ordonnateufy and of the chief officers. The fu-
perior council held its fittings there Hkewifc.

There is a pretty regular fort, capable of re-
lifting a whole army of Indians ; but European
troops could foon take it. It is fituated on a
bay where the tide comes up ; and between two
rivers, one of which is fmall, and is Jled the
nver of the Chaaam, the other is more confi-
derable than the Seine before Rouen, is called
Mobile river, and rifes in the Apalachian moun-
tains ; it is the rcndez-vous of all the Indians
who live to the caftward. They come there to
receive the prcfents which the King annually dif-
trijutcs to them by his governor. The foil
about' iW^^^ is gravelly., however, the cattle
fucceeds exceedingly well there, and multiplies
very much. The inhabitants arc very laborious,
and trade with the Spaniards ; they go to the
fort of Pinfacola, which is near Mobile, and get
fait beef, wild fowl, maize, rice, and other eat-
ables from thence. The inhabitants of Mobile
likcwifc carry on a trnde with tar. As to thi

fur^

422 TkAVELS THRbtJGH

fUf-trade with the Indians, the officers carry ft
on exclufively of all others, contrary to the
King's intention.

About this place, there are white and red
bays * and wild cherry-trees f. There are likew
wife white and red cedars J ; the latter is very
fine, and very good for inlaid work i its fmell
i^xpels infeifls, and the wood indetd is incorrup-
tible. There are feveral forts of trets in the fo-
refts hercatouts, which are unknown in Europe,
and fome which abound with a gum like tur-
pentine. There are likewifc cypreiTes § of fuch
a fize, that the Indians make piraguas out of
one piece, which can contain fixty men.

Before the French came into Louifianay the
Indians conftrufted their boats in the following

manner.

" ' '" " i»

* The bays are probably the Laurus ^ftivalis Linn, which
have white flowers ; and the Laurus Borbcnia Lim. which
has red flower-cups, and black or purple berries. F.

f The wild cherries of thit country grow in clufters, and
there are chiefly three kinds of them growing in America,
Vit. Prunus Firginiana, Canadtnfuy and Lvfttanka^ Linn.

J The red cedar is the Juniperm HrgimanM Linn, and the
White cedar is the Cuprefut ThjoUtt Linn.

§ Or ctttaru

LOUISIANA. 223
raariaer. They went to the banks of fonie ri-
v^rsi which are very numerous in this vafi: re-
gioo, and \irhich'by their rapidity tear up by
the roots the trees which ftand on their banks.
They tfciok their dimenfions for length and'
breidth, and accordingly chofc fuch a tree as
they wanted ; after which they fet fire to it, and
as the tree burnt on they fcraped away the live
coals with a flint or an arrow; and having fuffi-
ciently hollowed it our, they fet it afloat. They
are very well flcilled in conducing thcfc little
veOels upon their lakes and rivers. They cm-
ploy them in time of war, and likewife load
them with the furs and dried flefli which they. ^
bring back from their hunts.

V Their inftruments and their weapons were
mdde in the fallowing manner : chey chofe a
young tree for that purpole, in which they
mode an incifion with a flint, or pebble as
iharp as a razor, and they put a ftone cut in.
form of a hatchet into the incifion; therefore,
as die tree grew up, it enchafed the ftone, which
by that means became infeparablc from it, and'
they afterwards cut it ofl^ in order to make ufe-
of it; tficir lances and their darts were made in
die fame manner. They had clubs of a very
hard wood,

2^4 TRAVELS throucb

As to their inftruments of agriculture, they
only made ufe of the bones of animals, or of
fpades of a very hard wood. The ground
throughout America is very fruitful ; the grafs
there grows high and clofe i and after the froft
has dried.it up, the Indianr fct fire to itj then
they dig the ground with their fpades, fow itj
and reap three months after their crops.

They plant maize, millet, beans, and other
leguminous plants, potatoes, piftachios, and
water-melons ; gourds are likewifc very common
there, and the French inhabitants call them ^i-
romonds. '

Their kitchen-utenfils were dirties and pots of
earthen ware, and deep wooden diflies. They
made cups of calebafhes, and fpoons * of the
horns of wild oxen, which they cut through the
middle, and form iftto the proper fhape by
means of fire.

As foon as we (hall have got ready the provi*

fions for our voyage, and for the garrifon of the

fort, wc (hall fet out, M. Atibert and myfelf in

a boat armed with foldiers and Mebile Indianv

whom

• Which they call Micoutnt.

LOUISIANA.

2i.

whom wc have hired to row during the voy-
age.

M. Jukrt, though he is adjutant of the fort
at Mol^iie, has been appointed, by M. de Kerle-
rec,^ to command Fort Touloufe at the Atlibamons,
i which is contrary to the Ki%'s order, forbid-
ding all majors and adjutants to do other func-
tions than thofe of the place they belong to.

If any ihips arrive from Europe, I fliall per-
haps receive letters from you. M. de Felte, who
commands here, will be fo kind as to fend them
to me with the firft convoy.

I am, SI R, &c.

Ai Mobile^ the 6ih of
January 1759.

Vol* L

LET-

226 TRAVELS

THROUGH

I- E T T E R

XV.

^0 the fame.

'The Author fets out from Mobile for the Alliba-
mons. Description cf the Manners of this Na-^
tion. Their fVay of punifhing Adultery.

SIR,

^^^w -^^ ^' '^'^^ arrived at Voxt toukufe
^ I ^ among the AlUhamdns. I have been
^yi^yHIsi fi% days a-coming ; becaufe, taking
boat in the rainy feafon, the water in the river
was often fwelled to twelve or fifteen feet > this
fudden increafe was caufed by the heavy rains,
which are frequent hereabouts, and by the high
hills that run along this river.

We have been obliged to work hard agai nit

the rapidity of the current, and there were

days during which we icarcely advanced a

^. leagpe.

tout S t A N A. 227

league. It is impoffiblc to fail, on account of^
the woods, the hills, and turnings of the river g
and therefore we could do no otherwife than go
along the fhorcs. One day I had the misfortune
to fee my boat hemmed in by the branches of a^
tree * that was fet under water 1 we were bc^
nighted in this difagreeable fituation, and obli*
ged to wait for the break of day. But as thi»
river rifes and falls by the floods, I found my*
felf now quite in the air in my boat. We were
twenty-five leagues from the mouth of the river^
and the Mohilian favagcs that accompanied me^
comforted me by the hope that the next tide
would fet me a-float again j and really the tide
mounting up the river from Mobile bay delivered
us from our uncomfortable fituation. You fea
by this, dear Sir, what a difference it makes^ifl
navtjrating an European and an Americm nweu

M. Auhert fell fick on ths way, and I prevail*
ed on him to ftay at Mobile for the recovery of
his health ; and fo he came from thence hither
on horfeback, by croffing the fir-woods, which

Q.i arc

* There are hereabouts cedar-trees of fo prodigious a fixe,
that ten men can fcarcely clafp them ; which eafily accountti
for the goodnefs and fertility of the country, and-befides th»
its climate is one of the moft healthy.

2£8t

TRAVELS THROUGH

-I

arc very thin. M. de Montheraut '\s to give him-
up the command of this poft by order of the
governor, after having inftrufted him during
three months, of its fituation, environs, and
many other articles. This latter gentleman*
has a high reputation among the Indians of this
country, who call him the man of valour, i. e.
the hero. He was remarkable for the fpirited
fpeeches whicli he delivered, in a manner ana-
logous to the way of thinking of thefe nations.
This officer had a quarrel with the Jefuits, and
therefore alked to be recalled i and was fucceed-
ed by M. Auhert, the brother of Father Aubert,
a Jefuit miflionary in Louiftana. M. Montheraut
is a declared enemy to thefe miflionaries. Whilft
Father Lc Rci was at Allibamons, he wrote to the
governor to difcredit this officer, to whom the
foldier who was to carry tlie letter delivered it.
The commander faw after this the Jefuit, who
(hewed him many c:"''Tties, according to the
political principles of thefe good fathers : The
officer alked him, whether he had written fome-
thing againft him. The Jefuit, not fufpeding
his letter to be in the officer's hand, afTured him
by all that was facred he had not. Then M.

Montberaui

> • He is the brother of the Count de Montaut, who be-
longed to the houfehold of Cx Dauphin.

L O U I SI A N A. 229

Momheraut called Fa.iier.L^ Roi an impoflor and
a cheat, produced the letter, and fixed it at the
gate of the fort, giving it in charge to the fen-
tinel to take care of it ; and fince that time
there were no Jefuits among the Allihamom,

Whilft I am here go'ng to fpeak of x\^t Allu
hamons^ I fhall have an opportunity to treat like-
wife of the rajkikis, x\it05la(hepas, the ronkas, the
Kawuytas, th^ Abekas, thtralapoajlias, t\it Con/ha^
kis, and the Pakanas, whofe manners are all near-
ly related to one another. All thefe nations put
together can raife about four thoufand warriors.
'They are all well-lhaped men, live commonly
along the river fides, and no fooner are you arri-
ved among thefe well-behaved men, whofe wo-
men are of the fame charader, and for the greater
part beautiful, but they come to receive you at
the landing-place, ihaking hands with you, and
prefenting you with the calumet. After hav-
ing fmoaked, they afk from you the caufe of
your coming, and the time you fpent on the
road; what ft ay you intend to make among .
them, whether you have a wife and children *.

They

* The politenefs of the Indians goes even fo far as to oiFer

to the Europeans their girls, and for that purpofe the chiefs

" Q3 Ipenk

aao T R A V E J. S THRpucH

They likewife inquire the particuisrs of the war
jn Canada, an^l an< how the King their father
does. They then bring you a difli made of
piaizc or Indian corn, which they coarfcly pound,
and boil in water, generally together wjth fome
venifon * They likewife ferve up bread m^de
of the flour of the fame corn, baked in hot aflies,
roafted young turkies, broiled venilon, pan-
f akes baked with nut-oil, chcfnu* 'hen in fear
fon, boiled with bears grcafe or v i, roebucks
l^ngues, tqgcther with hen and turtle >f egg?* .

The foil pf l^oulfiana refcmbles, in the lower

parts of tfe colony, that of Egyp after the Nile

has overflown the country ; it is excellent, and

phiefly fp in the country of the nations I now

,ipe^k of.

The melons arc here prodigioufly large, fyll
pf ji?icc, and in ^rf at plenty : the ^ater-melo|i3

are

Tpeak the next morning in the following manner in the vil-
lage; Young men and warriors, do not be foo|ifh. love the
mailer of life ; hunt for the fupport of the French, who
•bring us our wants : and you young girls, do not be hard^
hearted, nor ungrateful with your body in refped to the
white warriors, for to get their blood ; by this allianpe we
•fliafl get wit like them, and be refpeaed by our enemies.

I'hj? is called Sagamiih

f Sea-tortcife.

LOUISIANA.

231

are fo delicious, that they are given to the fick
to quench their thirft during the , '^rning fits of
the fever. Potatoes are plentiful here -, and the
Europeans are very fond of this kind of roo%
which taftes like chefnuts roafted in hot afhes.

The Indians are gen -ally contented with one
wife, of whom they are j jalous to excefs. When
an Indian lies at a village where he has no wife,
he hires a ^irl for a night or two, as he pleafes,
and her parents never have any objeftion to it $
they concern themfclves very little about their
girls, feying their bodies are free : the Ihdiaii girls
do not abufe this liberty ; and they find it their
intereft to keep up an appearance of modefty, in
order to engage their lovers to afk them in mar-
riage : but in regard to wives the Indians main-
tain, that they have fold their liberty by marry-
ing, and that they muft not be ferved by other
men than their hufbands. The men keep the
privilege of having feveral wives, and they can
leave them whenever they pleafe; but this
feldom happens. When a woman is caught in
adultery, the Icaft punilhment is being repudia-^
ted. The hulband then leaves the hut ; aad if
they have any children, he takes the boys, and
the wife the girls j Ihe muft remain a widow for
oae year j but he can marry agaiu immediately.

0.4 He

23^ TRAVELS through
He can Hkewife take his wife again, therefore
ihe muft not enter on ii fecond marriage till a
whole year be paft.

The marriage of the Indians is quite fimple.
as I have already obferved 5 the mutual confent
of the parties is the only tie which joins them.
The future hufband makes fomc prefents of furs
and vi(ftuals in the hut of his bride's father; if
they be received, afeftival is made, o which the
whole village is invited ; after the meal, the ex-
ploits of the new hulband's anceftqrs are fung,
and a dance enfues. The next day one of the
oldeft men in the village prefents the bride to
the relations of her luilband i and thus the whole
ceremony of marriar^e is concluded. All the In^
dians deduce their lijieage from the women, al,
ledging th.^t they may be fure of their origin on
that fide, and accordingly of their having their
mother's blood in their veins j but that claiming
tl)cir defcent from the men was uncc.tain. l^he

great warriors anv

the bcft hvmtfmen chufe the
prettied girls ; the others have only their refvife,
and all the ugly ones left. The gi-ls, know.
ing that they cannot be miilrefles of their hearts
.ifter they are married, know how to difpofc of
jiiom to the grcateft advantage : for when once
lluy have a hufhand, all cc^uetry mult ccaie j

they

LOUISIANA.

233

they miift apply themfclves W'tM duties in
their houfes, fuch as preparing their hufbands
meals, dreeing the (kins, making Ihoes, fpin,
liing the wool of the wild oxen, and making
little bafkets in which they are very well (killed
and induflrious.

The manner of punifliing the infidelity of their
wives IS as follows : the hufband mull firft be
perfedly convinced of his wife's milbehaviour
by his own eyes, and then Ihcis watched by his
relations and her own. The hufband is then no
longer allowed to keep his wife, though he
ihould wifh it ; becaufe the Indians fay, that it
is unworthy and beneath a true man d live with
a wife who has failed fo eflentially in her duty to
him. In this cafe, the hufband goes to the Ca-
ctque, and tells him his ftory. The chi:f im-
mediately orders fome people to go and cut little
fwitches, and all keep a profound ftcret. The
chief then gives orders for a grand dance, which
every man, woman, boy, and girl in the village
IS obliged to attend, uniefs they will cxpofe
themfeves to be fined j but there are hardly ever
any abfent : in the midft of the dance the guilty
woman is extended on the floor, and beaten on
the back and ftomach without mercy, and her
icducer undergoes the fame ceremony.

When

-^,-

■■^m

■■e?.:

Z34 TRAVEL S ticrovgh

When thefc wretches have been well flogged,
Z relation on each fide comes and lays a ftick
a crofs the criminals and the executioners. That
moment they ceafe to beat j but then the huf-
band comes and cuts off all his wife's hair clofe
to her head *, and reproaches her in prefencc
of all the people, that is, h. eprefents to her
how much (he has done wrong to a6b as fhc had
done with him, that he had let her want for no-
thing, but that fince Ihe had however tranigrel-
fed, ftie might now go with her feducer ; whofc
hair they likewife cut on liis forehead, and tell
him, pointing to his paramour. There, that is
thy wife, l^c is at liberty to marry her that in-
ftant, but he muft go to fettle in another vil-

Whcn a married woman debauches a married
man, the women meet together among them-
felves each with a ftick of an arm's length, and
go to the criminal woman, whom they beat
without mercy, which creates great mirrh and
laughter amongft the young pet^le i the women
yfoM kill the guilty wretch, if the men did not
fnatch away the flicks.

Phyfic,

■* The Indian women h^vc long hair in trefTes.

L y I S I A N A. ^^

Phyfic, war, hunting and fifliing are the only
«rts whicli the Indians arc ambitious of knowing
They educate their children very hardy, and
make them bathe and fwim in winter tiinc at
*iay-brcak; whicJi done the young men come cf
their own accord before their chief warrior, who
•holds a fpecch to them, telling them 'never to
^car the water ; that they may be purfucd by
thck enemies ; and that if they are taken they
^re burnt alive; that they mult on this ^ccafion
prove that they are true men, by uttering no
complaints *.

.Wijen Ihc harangue is finiflied, the chief fca^"
xifies thpir thighs, breaft and back, in order to
tife them to pain, and he then gives them great
blows with leather ftrapsf. The young men
are then allowed to take place among the war-
nors ; and when they have done fome great ac-
tion m the wars, they are marked with needles,

•The Indians are obliged to fupport bad Jack with heroic
conftancy. u. order that their valour may defcend to their

t Theft leather (Iraps a« of U« breadth »f three finger,.
Tht nn„„, „fo them for earrying ,h,:, b„ndUs .vhcnLy
^<t out Oil a journey. '

23^ TRAVELS ijhrouch

in the manner I have explained to you when I
fpoke of the Illinois,

Their children whilft they fuck their mother's
milk, are daily bathed in cold water during win-
ter 5 and when they grow up, the earth is their
bed. As the Indians love their children very
much, they accuftom them very early to fa-
tigue i and indeed as their whole body is naked,
it is no more fenfxble to the cold than the face
and hands.

i e

The old men, that cannot follow them,
whenever they make a retreat, defirc to be killed
with clubs, bo'h to fpare them the wretchednefs
of a decrepit condition, and to avoid falling
into the hands of their enemies, who would cer-
tainly burn or eat them $ for the Indians in their
wars kill men, women and infants at the breaft,
which together with the ravages of the fmall
pox, is a caufe of the depopulation of America.

It will not be amifs Sir, to obferve that
it is merely an aft of humanity on cer-
tain occafions when a fon puts an end to his fa-
ther's life. The Indians have a great veneration
for their old men -, they regulate their conduft
by their advice, for they undeitakc nothing

with-

LOUISIANA.

237

without their confent. They likewife take great
care of the old men, and I have feen their chiefs
on their return from a hunting party, before they
fhared the game, lay afide the fnare of the old
people, which is likewife appropriated to the ufe
of widows and orphans, whofe hulbands and fa-
thers have been killed in defence of their country.
The Indians are very hofpitable towards ftrancrers
with whom they are in peace, and kind to their
allies and friends, but cruel and unmerciful to
their enemies. They are furprifed and even
fcandalized to fee a number of Englilhmen at
New Orleans, drawn thither in time of war,
for the fake of trading under the fpecious pre-
tence of coming to exchange prifoncrs*. A
cacique lately returned from New Orleans freely
owned to me, that he had a great mind to
break their heads for killing the French in
the north, that is, during the fiege of Quebec,
and that he was tempted to take his revenge
upon thofe that were at New Orleans, He

added.

• Here our author inferts a long invcaivc againft the Eng-
lilh who come in veflcls to Ne^u, Orleans with prifoncrs of
war on board, which they offer to exchange, and that under
this cloak, they get information of the'ftrcngth and fitu-
ation of the colony, and buy up all the furs they can get.
Some allowance muft be n).ide for national prejudice and
French pertnefs. F.

23^ T R A V E L 15 tphrovgh-

added, that in his country they fpoke to their
enemies with the club in their hands, as loon as-
the hatchet is dug up ; a phrafe which denotes^
that nobody ought to have any commerce or cor*'
refpondence with the enemy, direftly or in-
direflly, under any pretence whatfoever, after
war is declared, unlefs he wiil prove a traitor^
to his country, and be puniflied accordingly.

When peace is concluded they bury the
hatchet or the club under ground, fignifying
iliereby thf\t all their hatred towards their ene-
mies is buried in oblivion, that the horrors of
war are at an end, and that firicndfliip and
good, underftanding are growing again between
them and their friends, like the white ftowers of
their tree ut peacev (which is the. white laurel),
that ought to ipread its branches over the white
gmund ; which i» a metaphorical expreflion
which mean'] the grcu.nd of pcafce.

The cacique I mentiolicd before, is called
Tamatfdemingo^ and he is vt^i-y warm in the
French interett. I know duit he lias fcornfuily
rcjefted the prefentb which ibme EngViflimert
would have loaded him with, and he had a great
mind to break their heads for making him fuch
a propofujoa» He wears a- filver medal faftencd

round

I- O U I S I A N A. 233

round his neck by a leather thong. He often
told me, he would be buried together with tl e
'mage of hi. father (that is, the king's portrait),
which he wears on his breaft; and having al-
way, been faithful to him he hoped to ihake
hands with him in the land of the fouls, where
he expefted to fee him one day. After this wor-
thy chief had ftewn me thefe fine fentiments
wh,ch parted from his heart, I gave him a bot-
tle of brandy to drink the health of his father
and mme. Such little douceurs when given on
proper occafions. have a great effeft upon thefe
people ., thus they were gteatly moved when I
pulled off mylhirtand gave it them in the name
of then- fitther. telling them that he pitied them
becaufe he knew by mean, of t\., flaking M-
fiami" that his children were naked.

Thefe nations have no idea of the political
fyftems which are known among the European

muft amft them, when they are in war, and have
no correfpondence with their enemies. I have
had a long andferious conference with one Allt^i
^;»f., who is a juggler and likewife the chief
ot a diftrift among tliem, and pretends to have

been

• Paper, or letters.

8^0 T R A V E L S THROUGH

been abufed by fome SpanijTi foldiers of the gar-
n(6n of Penfacola : this Indian owned that he had
formed a defign in order to be revenged of them;!
to make a general incurfion with his warriors'
into Florida, to the very gates of Penfacola,
This Indian would pay me a compliment, and
make me approve of his defign, by telling me,
that he was partly drawn into it, becaufe the
Spaniards lay ftill upon their mats -, i. e. they
were at peace with the Englifh, whom they re-
ceived into their ports, though at that time, they
were our enemies.

» • ■ ■

I anfwered this difcourfe of the Cacique in
cxprefs terms and fuch as were mod capable of
making him defift from his enterprizc, as I was
willing to prevent a maffacre of the Spaniards
who were our allies and neighbours : accord-
ingly I fpoke to him in a manner analogous to
the genius and charadter of the nation.

4' K.

Akxi Mhigo^ faid I, prepare thy heart, open
thy ears to hear the force of my words, for it
will bring back to thee thy wits, which thou
haft loft to-day.

I tell thee, then that the grand chief fove-
reign of the Spaniards, who lives on the other

fide

LOUISIANA. Ht
fide of the great falt-water lake, in the old
World that fwarms with inhabitants is the brp*
ther • of the father of the red men, i; e» of
the king of France^ and accordingly, I muft
fay,- I difapprove very much of thy bold

^^^l^'n.^. ^^''^y ^^^^^^^ *° thee, that if thou
perfifteft m it, thou canft do no better than

to begin with breaking my head. The Ca-
cique anfweredi " Thy blood is as dear to me
11 as my own i befides, the Fremh have never done
me any harm, and 1 am ready to give my
" life for them ; thou canft aflure our father of
« that. Oh that I had the fpeaking fubftance
" which thou haft, to let him know my words,
^' but no, 1 rather wiOi I had a hundred mouths
"which he might hear f. "

■ After this proteftatidn of friendfliip he gave
mc his Calumet, and when I had fmoked a little
I returned it to him, as having made peace for
thtSpaniards^hv whom he pretended to have been
ill-ufcd i and as a ratification I gave him a bot-

VOL.I. R jj^

* The Indians call their allies brothers.

\ Some time after the author's departure, the Ihdians of
thefe parts maflacrcd fevetal EngHfhmen, that were come
withm two leagues of fort Touhu/e, where M. de Grand-Mai-
/oH then commanded, who is now Major of the troops at
iVtfoy Orleans^

«4*

TRAVELS TRRovcH

tie of the fiery water, that is of brandy, faying,
this I give thee to clean thy mouthy that it
may not utter any more bad words againfl the
Spaniards our allies : and tp ftrcngthen my dif*-
courfe I gave a great roll of tobacco, for his
,,,^ ;brs to fmoke out of the great Calumet of
peace. After my harangue was at an end, the
young people came one after another to fqueezc
me by the hand, as a mark of fricndlhip, which
is cuftomary among them.

I wifhed, however, to perfuadc this Cacique,
who was piqued at the Spaniards^ who receive
Englifh veflels at Penfacola, becaufe they are at
peace : for he faid they came to inform them-
felves of the fituation and ftrength of thcfe
coafts.

By way cf appeafing the Indian, I told him,
that the governor daily waited for the arrival of
a grep.t piragua *, which Ihould bring him fome
of the fpeakiijg fubftance, wherein the great
chiefof the Spaniards fnould order him to dig up
the hatchet of war, and to lift up, his club
againft the Englifh.

This

* An European fliip.

L O U I <; I A. N A.

^43^

This difcourfe fatisfied my Cacique j and a?
he had drank a good portion of brandy, he was
very talkative, and I took the opportunity of
queftioning him concerning the grudge he bore
the Spaniards in Florida. He told me, that he had
heard by tradition, that the firft warriors of fire *
who came into this country had committed hof-
tilities in it, and violated the law of nations j
and, that ever fince that period, the anceftors of
his nation had always recommended it to their
pofterity to revenge the blood which had been
unjuftly fhed. I told the juggling Cacique, that
the Lord of life had revenged them fufficiently,
by the death of Ferdinand Soto, and almoft all
his warriors.

I added, that they had no further i-eafon to
hate the Spaniards ; that Philip II. grand chief of
the Spaniards, had difavowed all the mifchief
which his generals had done in thefe climates, as
being contrary to his intentions.

R 2

Itold

'* Hillory infornl us, that in 1544, Ferdinand 5o/o made
incurfions into this country ; the Indians there, who had
never feen any Europeans, called the Spaniards warriors of
fire, becaufe they were armed with guns and piftols : they
faid, that the cannon was thunder, and that it caufcd tho
earth to trembK , by killing people at a great diftancc.

S44

TRAVELS TriROtJOH

I toid this American prince part of the ftory
of Don Francis de Toledo, viceroy of Peru, who
publicly hanged the prefumptive heir to the
crown, and ordered all the princes of the royal
family of the ' 'cas to be killedj not even ex-
cepting the Spaniards^ who from their mother's
fide were delcertded from AfahuaL^if. Don
Francis, after fuch an execution, expected
to be raifed to the greareft dignities of
the ftate on his return to Spain •, but he was
Very ill received by the grand chief of the na-
• tion, who ordered him with a harlh voice to get
out of his prefence, faying, I have not ap-
pointed thee to be the executioner of princes,
but to ferve me and afllft the unhappy. Thefc
words ftruck the viceroy dumb, and caufed
him fuch an illnefs that he died a few days
after. The fame king caufed the death o*^
one of his minifters that had impofed upon
him, merely by faying the v/ord Hoolabe,
which in the Indian language, fignifieg,
What, doft thou tye? The Cacique very
gravely replied, " But if the grand chief
" of the men of fire, appeared, as thou
" fayed, fo angry at the viceroy, on account
** of the cruelties which he had com-
mitted againft his will, why did he not put

" l)im

(«

LOUISIANA.

245

i(
It
((
<(
c«

C(
C(

((
((
((
if

him in the frame * ? or w.' - did he not cut ofF
his head, and fend it back to ^Wu ? This
example of fcverity and juftice would in part
have fatisfied the people whom this -eneral
had ill-treated, by hanging on a gibbet, like
a thief, the heir of a great empire, who de^
pended only from the Lord of life, or the Su-
preme Being, Thus we -1. men, whom the
Europeans call favages and barbarians would
ad towards the wicked and the murderers,
who jught to be treated like the fjerceft beafts
of the foreft."

I again replied to this bidian chief in the fol-
lowing terms, " Thou mull know that the
" grand ghiefs of the white men that live ia the
'* old country, are defpotic and abfolute, and
" that when they drive from th^'ir pretence their
" generals or warriors, who have sbufcd the^r kifj-
jeds .vitho jt caufe, this affroni; ,s :v,uch more
fenfibly felt by thofe proud chl.-fs, who are
hated by the Greai ^irit, or by God, ou r^^
" count of their mifdeeds, than the punifhrnent

•■,-1-

» A puniftiment which the Indians adjudge to thofe that
have committed cruelties, and are taken at war : they are put
jnto a kind pf frame, compofed of two polls, and a pole
laid acrofs them, and bMrnt alive.

K«

a46 TRAVELS throooh

** of the frame, or a hundred blows with the
•* cKib upon the head, would be by a red

At Iflft I fucceeded in foftening the ha-
tred which thefe people had conceived againl^
the Spaniards^ and I imagine every hoftile int^n-
c'on is fupprelFed now j for iny t plication was
very fatisfa«5l:ory to my juggler.

I believe I' have aire; y obferved to you, that
the Indians are very fcnfiblc of injuries, and that
ihcy generally remember thofe that have out-
raged them when they are in liquor. I have of-
ten been the mediator in order to terminate the
quarrels between two Indians ; I told them
that they ought to live together as good bro-
thers, forget the pad, and employ their courage
1n the common defence ot' their country only. I
further aflured them that if they did not give
ear to my words, the Crrat Spirit would be dif-
pleafcd with them, a-nd make their cro|)s ot"
maize fail. The Indian wonun ran quickly to
mc, whenever any two were ready to fight,
tlmt I might judge between them, and I always
did all I could to reconcile the parties; whirl)
pleafcd tiic women very mucli,who have nothing
■^ild about them, but the numc which people

give

L..,0 U 1 S 1 A N A.

give them, and whofe features are very regular.
In a word, in this new world, as well as in the
oid» that lovely fcx is born to populate and
not to dcftroy.

What I have ftill to fay of this nation is Co
ample, that I am obliged to divide its I fliall,
therefore rcferve their mourning and their fune-
ral cuftoms for another letter.

I ^, S I R, &c, &c.
Among tfii Mthamons the

LET-

t48 TRAVELS through <

\-M-Qi 30 a

n'-

LETTER X.VI. ***'

To the fame^

'I!

Mourning and Manner of burying tie Bead among th
Allibamons \ Jujlice done to the Chevalier d'Err
neville, /?r a Soldier killed by a young Indian :
their Religion ; their Means of catching the Rod-
buck and the zvild Turkies,

S I R,

??^"S2JHE day before yeflerday I received
jS T Q: one of your letters, which informs me

Sit^^i(^ ^^^^ yo" ^^^ '" gPod health, and that
you continue to give me marks of your remem-
|)rance of me. In my preccdmg letter, I fpoke
to you of the mj^rriage of the Indians j I fhall
now proceed to defcribe their mourning. When
a grand chief of the nation dies, this mourning
confiils in rot wafhing nor combing themfelves i
the men daub their whole body with foot, mixed

i^H^HH

J. O U I S I A N A. 249

up with bear's oil; and in a word, they re-'
nounce all forts of divcrfions. "When a woman
Ittfes her huibandjlhe is obiig;V*f:o be in mourn-
ing for a \yhple year, and to lay afide all her
ornaments.

All the Atlihamon% Idrink the Crf^«**; this is
the leaf of a little tree, which is very Ihady \
the leaf is about the fize of a farthing, but dcn-
tated on its margins. They toafl: thcfc leaves
as wc do coffee, and drink the infufion of them;
with great ceremony. When this direutic po-
tion is prepared, the young people go to prefent
it in calebalhes formed into gt »s, to the chiefs
and warriors, that is the honourablcs, and af-
terwards to the other warriors, according to
their rank and degree. The feme order is ob-
ferved when they prefent the Calumet to fmoke
out of: whilft you drink they howl as loud ai
they can, and diminilh the found gradually;
when you have ceafed drinking, they take their
breatii, and when you drink again, they kt up
their howls again. Thefe forts of orgies lomc-
times lad from fix in the morning to two o'clock

♦ This is the PHhos glaber of Linnaeus. Sp. pi. p. 471.
and CafeM vtra Floridanorum. Catefty^s Carol, a. t. 57.

25P T R A y E L S THROUGH

in the afternoon, fh© Indians find no incopr,
veniencics , fi'f)q[> thi^ poti9n, to, w;hich they atr.
tribute «|a^ l^ca, ^d m^r^ik,mxlm^^
^rff:. -.bhR-ijJ oi' . JVM r'--'-" -'-^ :

■•"^

The women never drink of this beverage,
which is* oniy'^made for the warriors. In fwch
aflemblies, where, they are never adrrdtted, the
Indians tell tJiqir new^ and deliberate on politic
cal affairs, concerning peace or war. However
the Chcv^\ltrd*Erft€vilk^ fays that he faw a wo^
man, who was .the grand chief's wife, go in,
becaufe Ibp vvas a female warrior, and had ^
quick, penetrating, mind. Her opinion fome-^
time? prevailed in the conclufion of treaties.

The Allibamom love the French very much ;
there is an agreement on both fides, that if a
Frenchman kills one of the Indians^ he muft die,
and the fame if an Indian kills a Frenchman ; the
lad accident happened whilft the Chevalier d'Er-
neville commanded the fort at the AUibamom \ a
young Indian (hot a foldier of the garrilbn, and
difappearcd immediately. As the officer did not
know where the criminal was, he applied to the
chiefs of the nation, faying, they muft do him
juftice. They anfwcred, that the young" man
had taken refuge with another nation \ the Cht'

valier

LOUISIANA.

251

waller d'Ernville did not put up with this excufe ;
he told them that the dead man called for ven-
geance, and that blood ought to be avenged by
biood, as is their expreflion j that the murderer
had a mother, and that Ihc ought to fuffer in his
ftead. They anfwered, that fhe had not killed
the man; but the officer. replied, that he fpoke
like the red man, who when fomcbody killed a
perfon of their nation, and they had not juftice
done them for it, were revenged upon fome
perfon of the nation of the murderer. He
Jaftly reprefented it to them, that in order to
k'^p the good underftanding between the:white
and the red men, they ought not to oppofe the
punilhment of the criminal. They offered him
a great quantity of furs, and even horfes loaded
witli booty. This officer who is known for his
zeal in preferring the king's intereft to his own,
and the honour of the nation to his fortune, re-
fufed alt thefe prefents. He added, that he had
not been able to deep fincc the death of his
warrior, who called every night to him, avenge
my bhod. The poor Indians, feeing they could
not move him, held a council and fent out eight
men, conduced by a young chief of the war-
riors. He went immediately with his men to
the murderer's mother, and told her that fmce
hcrfon was not to be found, (he mult die in his

ftead.

25a TRAVELS THROUGH

Head. The poor woman fufFered hcrfelf to be
led away, and was all in tears ; her relations
followed her with very lad countenances -, one of
them feeing there was no pardon to be hoped

for, faid to the chief of the troop, " M)f mo-
ther-in-law dies through courage^ as flie has not
Jtrttck the blow** He propofed they Ihould
wait whilft he went to fetch the murderer ; he
aflu-ally brought him into the aflcmbly, where
the Chevalier d'Erneville was, and faid, See,
there is the guilty man, do what you pleafe with
him. The officer anfv" ed, that they ought to
do him juflice; and they immediately killed
him f .

<«

J u ft ice

* Thus the In'^ians execute juftice ; there is no need of
drawing up cafes ; all thefe forms are unknown ; the law is,
that he who has killed muft be killed again, unlcfs it be
^y accident, as in a drunkennefs, in a lit of pad^cfs, ox io
their exercifes.

f The /relation of this ftory, is by no means fevourable
to tiie French. They afted upon a barbarous and cruel
principle, by bringing the mother of the guilty man
to a punilhment which Ihe did not deferve ; and had not her
fon on this occafion preferred filial duty to felf-prefervation,
the French Chevalier would have committed an inhuman
naion, by inflicting death on «m innocent ^qtCob,. The /«-

LOUISIANA. 2$^

Juftice being thus done, the chief harangued
the young people, and recommended it very
ftrongly to them, to keep their hands from the

French^

dians aft upon principle, by avenging the death of their
countrymen upon any other perfon of the nation to which
. the murderer belongs ; for, on account of their confined ideas,
and ignorance, they think the fame conftitution and manners
take place among the Europeans, as are ufual among thcm-
felves ; and as they look upon their whole nation as a body of
brethren, and a fmgle family, they are, therefore, of opi-
nion that all the Europeans muft be anfwerable for the death
of one of their brethren. But as the Europeans boaft to be
civilized, inllrufted and Chriftians, they ought to aft ac-
cording to the principles of their religion, the knowledge
and inflruftioa they enjoy, and their owh conftitution ;
fill thefe oblige them to fhew the Indians, by their example,
the fuperiority of their religion, knowledge and conftitution ;
make them fenfible, that if they afted like Indians they would
commit an open injuftice ; and to enforce the retur*: of
fuch aftions in fimilar cafes. The Europeans inftcad of in-
ftilling principles of humanity into the minds of the poor
Indians, very frequently fcandalize them by their Uncharita-
ble and barbarous manners j and thus the high refinements of
our manners, our boafted civilization, our pride, founded
upon the fuperiority of our knowledge, and that real great
advantage of being inftrufted in a religion founded upon
reafon and charity, inftead of bringing our immortol minds
to that pitch of excellence they are capable of, according
to the true intention of thefe advantages, prove only our
deep corruption, and the wilful depravity of our hearts, and
I may fjiy, the barbarity of our manners. F.

zs^ TRAVELS

THROtUGH

French •, and added, that as often as they fhould
lofe their fenles and kill our pcopk, they would
do UB the lame juflice again.

The Chevalier d'Ernev'die held a fpeech to the
aflerably in his turn, and made the nation a pre-
fent which the governor had lent him. The In-
dians gave him the great calumet of peace to
fmokc, all the foldiers and French inhabitaii'ts
likewife fmoked it, in fign of a general amnelly;
afterwards they drank the Cajfme, which is the
potion of the ivhiie word^ i. e. the potion of ob-
livion and peace.

Since that time this ifation has never offended
us. T\\t Allibamom offered, in 17 14, to build
upon their ground, and at their expence, a fort,
which was afterwards called Fort Touloufe, and
they injtroduced the French into it. M. de Bien-
ville^ who was then governor, went to take pof-
feflion of it in the King's name *.

They

•'This governor is in fucb great efteem with them, that
they always mention him in their harangues. His name is
fo deeply graved in the hearts of thefe good Indians, that his
memory will always be dear to them. As foon aa they falv
inc they inquired after him ; I anfwercd, that he was at the
great village, or Parist in good health, with which thoy
were highly pleafcd.

I- O U I S I A N A. 255

They never would permit the Englijh m do. thfe
lik« t tbey pay no regard to the menaces of the
King of England', every Cacique or chief of a
village thinks himfelf a fovercign, who only de-
pends upon the Mafter of life, or the Great Spi-
rit, . , .

The Mibamns have called their country the
white country, or land of peace ; and repofe oci
their mats, that is, ihey attack no body -, which is
a kind of allegory by which they feem to tell all
the nations on earth, that the murdering hatchet
IS buried, and that they may come to trade with
them in fafety.

The following is an harangue which I heard
one of the chiefs of this nation hold : « Youno-
" men and warriors, do not difregard the Ma^
'' jler of life , the (ky is blue, the fun is with-
« out fpots, the weather is fair, the ground i«
** white, every thing is quiet on the face of the
" earth, and the blood of men ought not to be
" fpilt on it. We muft beg the fpirit of peace
" to preferve it pure and fpotlefs among the nn-
I* tions that furround u$. We ought only to
"fpend our time in making war withtvgers,
« bear$,-V*olVes, ftags, and roe-bucks, in order
\ll J^^ve their (kins, with which we ma), trade

" with

'»n ■HI ■

•56 TRAVELS tHRbuoH

«c

with the Europeans, who will bring us what
*' we wanti in order to maintain our women and
"children."

The Americans in general have no knowledge
of letters. The art of wridng is unknown to
them. They are furprifed to fee that one can
converfe with another at a great diftance by a
paper ; and they look upon the miflive letters
with admiration. When they are trufted with
Jetters, they bring them very exadly to the per^
fons they are direfted to *, and though it fliould
rain ever fo hard, and they had a great many
rivers to pafs, thofe letters are never wetted*
The Allihamons trade witli the French, Englijh, and
Spaniards, but they do not love the latter much ;
they make war upon them fooner than upon
any other nation, on account of their cruelties
towards the Mexicans -, their memory is admira-
ble, they always remember the wrong which is
done to them.

Thofe \,aom I fpeak of here acknowledge a
Supreme Being, whom they call Soulbieche. 1
afked them what they thought of the other
worid i and they anfwered, that if they have
not taken another man'<s wife, or if they have
not rgbbed nor killed ?ny one during their life*

they

I.; o u I s I A N A.

2^7

they fhall go after their death into a very ".rtile
country, where they Ihall want neither .vives
nor proper places for htinting, and that every
thing will beeafy to them there ; . but tha. on the
contrary, if they have behaved themfeives fool-
ilhly, and difregarded he great S|)irit, they will
come into a barren land full of thorns and
briars, where there will be no hunting, and no
wives. This is all I have been able to learn
concerning the belief of thefe peo|Jle of another
life.

The Mihamons bury their dead in a fitting po-"
fturci in order tojuffifythis cuftom they fay,
that man is upright, and has his head turned to-
wards heaven, which is to be his habitation.
They give to them a calumet, and fome tobacco
to fmoke, that they may make peace with the
inhabitants of the other world. If the corpfe be
of a warrior, he is buried with his arms^ which
are a mufket, fome powder and bullets, a qui-
ver full of arrows, a bow, and an hatchet or club ;
and befides thefe a mirror*^, and fome vermilion
with which they may drefs themfeives in the
other world*

^'^^•I- S When

-^ The young Indians are never without a little hatchet or
a mirror hung on their \vri(^.

2S$ TRAVELS THROlTGff

. When a man kills iMmfelf, either 'ir\ defpair
or in a f::.knel% he i? deprived of burial, and
thrown m:o »he river, bccaufe lie is looked up-
on as ? "d.

I havi ; if t-ady faid, that the Indians muft fup*
port misfortunes with heroic conftancy. Their
enthufiafo prompts them to make fongs of death
when they are taken prifoners^ and deftined to
be burnt j on fuch an occafion an Indian fays r
" I fear neither death nor fire, make me fuffer
" ever fo much, becaufe my nation will revenge
** my death." This occafions his enemies cither
to accelerate his fate, or fometimes adopt him,
faying he is a man of courage.

When there is a difturber of public peace
amongft them, the old men fpeak to him thus :
" Thou art at liberty to go away ; but remem-
« ber, that if thou art killed, the nation fhall
" difown thee ; we fhall not weep for thee, nor
" avenge thy death.'* So irregular a life is pu-
niflied with the greateft contempt among thefe
people, as among all others *.

The

i* The youn^ Indians fometimes ramble into the neigh-
bouring villages^ and carry ofF the women j thefe kinds of

rapea

LOUISIANA.

i^9

The Indians generally fct out a hunting to-
wards the end of Oaober. The AlHbamns go
fixty, eighty, ani fometimes an hundred leagues
from their villages, and they take their whole fa-
milies with chem into their piraguas ; they do
not return till March, which is the time of fow-
ing their corn-grounds. They bring back many
furs, and a great quantity of dried flelh. When,
they are returned into their villages, they regale
their friends, and make prefents to the old meq,
who have not been able to go with them, and
have kept in the huts during the time of the
great hunt.

Thefe nations have fingular methods of catch-
ing the roe-deer J an Indian takes the head of a
roe-buck, and dries it j he then carries it with
him into the woods, where he covers his back
with the Ikin of this animal, he puts his hand
into the neck, of the dried head, taking care to
put little hoops under the (kin to keep it firm on
the hand ; he then kneels down, and in that at-

S a titude.

rapes occafion the wars among the different tribes ; for thev
fight not for land, having more of that than they can cuiri'-
vate. It 3s a capital crime among the Indians to carry off
another man', wife J if it is the Cacique's wife, the whol*
Jiation js obhged to avenge the affront effered to their ciiief. .

260 TRAVELS THROUGH

titu^.Cj mimicking the voice of thefc creatwrcs,
he Ihews the head i the roe-deer are deceived by-
it, and come very near the huntersj who are
fure to kill them.

There are Indians who, by means of this ftra-
tagcm, have cicftroyed four hundred roe-deer in
one winter's hunting. They employ very nigh
the fame trick to get the wild turkies in the
woods; fome of them put the fkins of thefe
birds on their fhoulders, and on the heads a bit
of fcarlet or othei* red clotli, which is agitated
by the wind, and whilft the birds look at them,
their comrades kill them with arrows ; they do
not ufe fire-arms, for fear of frightening them,
and whilft there are any turkies on a tree, they
continue to Ihoot them with great dexterity j
thefe birds are commonly fooliOi enough to ex-
pert the return of their fellows who fell down ;
the Indians have often treated me with thefe
birds, and I found them excellent during au-
tumn.

The Indians are likewife very dextrous fifher-
men i they neither employ hooks nor nets j they
take reeds, which are very common along the
fivles of rivers, dry them near the fire, or in the
fun-fhine, (harpcn one end like a dart, and i'dCi-

L O U I S I A N

A. 261

en a cord made of the bark of a tree^ to the
other end i when they are upon the lakes in
their canoes, they throw this da:t or harpoon
into the water at the fiih, and r' aw it up igain
by means of the cord •, others fhoot the filh with
a bow and arrov/.., and when they have wounded
a fifh, it comes to the furface of the water.

^ Before I have done with the Mihamons, I
fhould not forget to tell you, that in July, when
their harveft begins, they have a great feaft.
That folemn day they pafs without eating; thfy
light a new fire for phyfic, as they call it, or jug-
glmg, after which they take a purge, and offer
to their Manitou the firfllings of their fruit :
they finifh the day in religious dances.

This nation has likewife jugglers or quaiks,
ihall relate to you a very droll adventure which
happened to me with one of them. As I was
going up the river of Mhmom, a qi.ack and
juggler came to fee me with feveral Indians
men and women. He alked for fome brandy
I gave him a bottle full of it, which he drank
w.th his companions. He aOced me for fome
.'-.ore, but I told him I had no more; he wou'd
not bcheve me, and feeing that he could not
get any tl„,,g, he thought he would intimidate'

^ 3 me,

*y.i|i

^62 TRAVELS through

mc, by telling me he was a magician, and would
■praEtife fhyfic * againft me, if I gave him no
brandy \ i. e. he would enthant my boat, fo
that it could not proceed. I told him I feared
him not j that I was a phyfician myfelf. This^
word aftoniflied my adverfary.

This pretended magician told me to fhew him
the efFeds of my art j I anfwcred, thdt he ought
to begin, but he replied that I lliould do it be-
ing a ftranger j at laft, after many debates, I
began to make ridiculous gefturcs, and looked
into a book which the juggler underftood no-
thing of J I bid him retire, and leave me alone,
it being the cuftom of the jugglers, by which
means they conceal their impoftyres from the
other Indians. I had the Ikin of a tyger-cat,
the flefh and bones of which had been extradfd
through an incifion in the neck ; I gave this
fkin to the Indian quack, telling him to reftore
its fight, and make the creature go about. He
anfwered that he could not do it ; I fee, faid I,
thou art a mere novice in this 4rt, I ihall pei-

ftl^TB if.

\ muft

Thi is an exprefljon which the Indians make ufeof, dc?
. .)tin^ the application of their /light-of-! .4 tricks, and
grima es int< udcd for to make tlieir countrym'-n bejicve thaf
t cy are magicians or conjurors.

li O U I S I A N A. %6^

Imuftprevioufly inform you, that, inmylaft
voyage, I brought with me from France enamelled
cyct, which perfeMy imitated the natural eyes ;
a thing which the Indiarts here had never feen ;
I faftencd them with the refin of firs, in the
piao? )f thofe which wtre wanting m the fkin,
into which. I aftenvards put and confined a li-
ving quirrel, with its head towaixls the neck of
tH tygcr-cat: a foldier whoryi I had inftruded
was qtrite ready with a club •, every thing being
thus urepared, I opened the door of the cabin,
and the Indians advanced, with the juggler or
quack doctor at their head. I held the cat in
my arms and the fquirrel jumped about in it,
which immediately furpriled my pretended ma-
gician i he cried oi t that I was a true phyfidan
or foFcerer, becaufe I had brr jght to life, rcfto-
rcd to fight, and made dead cats walk. When
the other Indi ans had well confidcrcd it in my
arms, I let it go on the ground, pricking the
fquirrel with a pin, which made it run with the
cat's (kin towards the fpedators, who thought
it would devour them j th-y went backwards,
and the women, through a natural fear, rm
from my boa., declaring that I was a forcerer.
I then ran to my tygcr-cat, fecming to be ve-
ry angry with it, I quickly tooiC our. the fquirrel
and the glais-cycs, then prcfling the teeth in the

S 4 cat's

m:^m

>-M-r-.i

£^4 TRAVELS T

HROUGH

f 4t*s head againft my ftomach, I cried out as if
the creature had bit me, flinging it on the ground
immediately; the foldier whom I had* armed
with a club, ftrikes at the revived tyger-pat, in
order to kill it for having revolted againft its
mailer, and for having been willing to attack
red men, who were our friends and allies.

Atter this comic fcene, I gave the (kin to the
Indian juggler, and defired him to make it re-
vive as I had done. He owned, that my art
was above the reach of his. I then bid him en-
chant mjr boat to prevent its going on ; but he
anfvvcred, that one phyfician againft another
could do nothing ; that I was his mafter in the
art, and he an igpor i.nt feUpw *, AH the fa-

vages

* The Indians repofe a great confidence in their dotflors ,
the juggler's hut is covered with furs, with which he covers
.ind drciles himfelf. He goes in quite naked, and begins
with pronouncing fome words which no body underftands ;
ihcy are, as he fays, to invoke the Spirit ; after that he
rifcs, cries, agitates himfelf, appears quite frantic, and
gets into a profound fweat f .

The lint fliakes, .ind the fpectators believe it is done
,inrr -.1 the prefence of the Spirit; the language which he
fpcaics on this occafion, has nothing in common with the or-
dinary Indian language ; it is notliing but the ravii^s of a

hot

L O U I S I A N A. 2^5

vages who were out upon the winter hunt along
t^e river, brought me provifions of roe-deer
and turkies, that I might begin aga'n to play
off my trick •, but for fear nf being difcovercd,
and to preferve my reputation, I fai 1 1 could

not

hot imagination, which thefe quacks have i-ipofed upon
tl*eir countrymen as a divine language ; thus ^^ e moft cun-
ning people have always deceived the reft, .

t The heathen nations In the Rufllan empire i^ve exaflly
fuch jugglers or conjuifors as are here defcribed. In the go-
vernment of Cazan »re the Te/ieremijfs, the Tchinuajhts, and
the Wotiaks, three nations • the firft of which ctU their con-
jurors Mujhatiy the fecond Yommas or Tymmai, and the third
To»a or Tuno'y f'-y are of both fexes, and make the fame
grIiTiaces as thefe American jugglers, hx sdena th^ Tutt-
inr?, the Takuii, artd the Byrati, call their coryurors Sha~
mans, and they perform the fame tricks, and make many
antic gefturcs at their pretended conjurations. Their drefs
is on th^fc occifions likewife very remarkable, fometimes
ornamented with the fangs and talons of bcafts and birds of
prey^ foAetimes hung with fach a terrible quantity of feve-
ral pieces of iron, as 'viU both make the robe very heavy,
and-caufe a great ratUing noif- at the leaft motion of the
conjuror's body. The more we go eaft in Stiena, the more
ccjmmon is this kind of conjurors, and the more ftriking is
the likcnefs between the favageiohabii.uitsof A^or/A^/«mVff,
and the favage Nomadic nations of the north-'aft parts of
yi/ifi, Some more hints of this fimiiarity are pointed out in
a note to Xal/n's Trawls into North Jmcrica, vol. III.
p 126. F.

266 T R A V E L S thrqugh

not do it over again, left fome one of them
ihould be devoured by the revived creature, and
the better to convince them, I fliewed them the
marks of the animal's teeth on my ftomach.
They then approved very much of what I had
faid, and thanked me for interefting myfelf fo
much for them, as to expofe myfelf generoufly
to prevent the furious revived tyger-cat from
killing their women and children ; they added,
that I had done well to reduce it to its lifclcfs
ftatc, in order to make it an example to others,
bccaufe it was an evil fpirit ; thefe poor people
regard thp French as fupernatural men.

' • It is fometimes dangerous to be a doflor ; for
if fome one dies among the Indians, they attri-
bute his 4eath to the phyfic, and not to the in-
curable difpofition of the patient j therefore* I
would never aidvife any body to abufe the cre-
dulity of thefe people. Ilikewife told them, that
iince 1 had been bitten I had abjurated thp office
of a magician, and that I knew no other phyfi-
cian than the Mi/ier oflifey whofe aid they ought
to implore j that he was as much the father of
riv" red men as of the white men, who are their
fldcr brother^?.

The

L O U I S I A N A. 267

The pretended refurreftion of my tyger-cat,
however, gave me great reputation among the
quacks' or jugglers of this country, and even
among thofe of Spanifh Florida^ whofe natural
curiofity led them to pay me a vifit ; they join-
ed the Allibamons doctors, and begged mc to
perform the fame piece of legerdemain which l
had done on my voyage : I told them, I wa3
forry that I could not fatisfy their curiofity, be-
caufe I had ftruck the pofl * ; however, that I
might not fend them away difcontented, I told
them, that their prcfencc was very agreeable to
me, that the Grand Chief q£ the French and the
father of the Indians was contented, with their
nation, and with them in particular -, that the
dodors having more knowledge than the others,
both in the art of curing the fick, and in their
zeal towards infpiring their countrymen with fi-
delity and friendfliip for the French, it was on
that coniideration I come on purpofe to brino*
them a 4>refent, which was the word of their
father, and that M. Aubert had orders from the
governor to divide it among them.

I further told them, that as I was glad to get
acquainted with them, and to converfe with
them,

* The Indian manner of fwearing is to ftrike againft a pofi
>filx\i a club,

268 TRAVELS through

them, I wifhed they would tell me their proper
names. As thefe people are neither baptifed
nor cJxcumcifed, they commonly take t hename
of -fome animal, fuch as bi?ar, wolf, fox, &c.
The gravity which I affeded, in order to com-
mand the refped of thefe Indian doftors^ made
them a{k me, whether I wrote their names in or-
der tog. /e an account of them to their father,
by means of the fpeaking paper ? to which I
anfwered, that it was for that very purpofe.

When I had written down their names, I
fometiraes made ufe of them in order to pafs for
a fortune-teller.

I fluit myfelf up in the hut of one of the doc-
tors, and a foldier, to whom I had told the
number of letters which >ofed each name,

put his hand on the fhou.der of the juggler,
and with a little rod ftruck him as many«times as
there were letters in his namej I being within
eafily guefTed what man my foldier laid his hands
upon i and fo on with all the reft. I'hey could
not comprehend how I could guefs fo well with-
out feeing them, and they owned that it went:
beyond their imagination,

The

LOUISIANA.

269

The Sieur Godeau, chief furgeon and keeper
of the magazine at the fort of Jllibamons, had al-
ready before me pradifed phyfic in the prefence
of the Indiansj who were looking at a little
phial full of mercury ; after looking at it with
attention, they told him they wiflied to have it.
He faid he would give it them, but that he
wanted the phial ; he poured out the quickfilver
' immediately on the ground, and bid them take
it up ; they could never do it, for it rolled
away on ail fides ; the aftonifhed favages called
it a fpirit which divided itfelf into feveral parts,
which being colleded together formed only one
body i but their aftonilhment was much greater
when the Sieur Godeau took up all the mercury
with a card, and put in the phial again, in their
prefence, which none of them had been able to
do. This furgeon did more, he poured aqua-
fortis upon it, which diflblved it, and made It
difappe^r entirely j fincc that time the Indians
hive revered him as a great dodor.

M. de Montheraut has put the command of the
fort of the Allibamons into the hands of M. Au-
hert, who is adjutant of the fort Mobile, I take
the liberty to write to the governor, in order to
reprcfent it to him with all refped, that being
the fenior officer of tha; gentleman, I could not

Hand

470 TRAVELS through

ftand hereunder his orders ; that he might not
be further obliged to do any fervices foreign to
his funfkion *, the King's order concerning that
particular being very explicit -, that as our ihfti-
tution is founded upon honour, I Ihould think
I would derogate from that which I had acqui-
red in the King's fervice, if I did ot make the
obfervations of a foldier, whofe zeal for the fer-
vice he knows •, that it was very natural for me
to think, that by this c.nfideration he would
think h, ifelf obliged to let me enjoy the emolu-
ments annexed to my place, other wife I Ihould
beg him. to recall me to New Orleans^ that I
might feize the firll opportunity of fetting out
for Europe, where I fhould have the pleafure of
alTuring you that I am, S I R, &c.

At the Allibamcms, the 2.d
of May 1759,

P. S. I

* I muft, however, do M. Auhert juftice j he has had
the command of the fort at the AlUbamons to my prejudice,
but I muft praife the regard he has had for me, in offering
to divide the authority, and to live upon the footing of a
friend with me.

LOUISIANA.

371

P. S. I have forgot to mention to you a vilit
which the emperor of the Kawytas has paid u»
fome time after M. de Montberaufs departure.
As we had advice of it by a courier, I wer^t to
meet his Indian majefty in order to receive him
at fome diftance from the fort. I had pofted
fome foldierS, who fired their mufkets by way
of fignal to the gunners to fire the cannon at
the moment, when the prince Ihould put his hand
in mine * : he was mounted on a Spanifh h')rfe,
with an Enghfh faddle, and with a houfing of a
tyger's fkin f .

This emperor marched gravely at the head of
his attendants ; I could hardly keep from lauf^h-
ing, on feeing tall well made naked men,
painted with all kinds of colours, follow each
other in a file, according to their rank, like fo
many Capuchin friars.

The Indian prince appeared enraptured with
the honours that were Ihewn him; he had

never

• The Indians are without compliments and ceremonies,
they laugh at our bows, or method of faluting with thft
body bent, and the foot advanced fwwards or retreated
backwards.

t American leopard.

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WHSTIR.N.V. MSM

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.«^

^']^ TRAVELS THRbucfi

nc-^^cr fcen cannons, i.nd called them great
muikets*

lie woi-e on his head a creft of black plumes j
his coat was fcarlet, with Englijh cuffs on it^
and befet with tinfel lace ; he had neither waift-
coat nor breeches, but only an apron made or a
bit of fcarlet cloth j which was taken up be-
tween the thighs and fattened to his girdle. Un-
der hi.« coat he had a white linen fhirt; his feet
were covered with a kind of bulkins, of tanned
roe-deer fkins, which were died yellow. As he
Was a young man, of eighteen or nineteen years
old, his riation had appointed a noble and wife
old man as a regent ; he held a fpeech in hi? fo-
vcreign's name, and he prefented the calumet of
peace to M. AuberU who told him after the firft
Compliments were over, that he Ihould go to reft,
it being the cuftom among the Indians, not to
fpeak of political affairs till the next day, in or-
der to have time to make refleifiions.

The Sieur Lauhene^ the king's interpreter^
tranflated the difcourfe of the regent, who like-*
wif^ afted as the emperor's chancellor, ; he did
not fail to call to mind the great fervices which
hit late father had done to the French, and that

ihem,

L U I.^ I A It. A. 271

the fon had dway^ been wllbgtd come^td fee
them, in order to renew the friendihip, whieb
had never ceafed to eXift between his nation and
owes, and to fmoke' the* fame calamet with
them.

It is triie, his predeccflbr always was inviola^
bly attached to M. de Bienville, and the latter
granted that Caciqiic the title of emperor on
that account. '

The governor likewlfe defired to bring all the
tribes of Allibamons to acknowledge the emperor
as their grand chief j but they refufcd It faying^
that it was quite fufficicnt that every village was
fubjeded to a chief; in a word, they would
change nothing in their form of govern-

ment.

^uuni *;; TiJfitrfr.

The emperor, his regent, his chief of waf
or general, his dodor or juggler, and his hired
ftrvant appeared at tea o' lock in the morning
before our commander, where wei all wert
dreflcd in our uniforms in order to compofe 2
kind of ^ourt for^im. As to the emperor, his
imperial habit was no better this ^'ji^ than
that of his attendants, for they all were

Vol. I. T dreflcd

*H TRAVELS THROUGH

i^rcfftd as Adam was in the terrcftrial para-
dlfc *.

This young prince had a noble ihape, and a
handfome appearance; he ^as fpiighdy a ad
graceful ; during his ftay here he has been
treated at the king's expence. As he was of
my fize, the governor of the fort begged me to
give him a blue coat, and a gold laced waift-
coat, a hat with pUmies, and a Ihirt with laced
rufHes.

^. ^u^grt likewife made fome trifling prefents
to th?s American prince, and to the officers of
his court, at the king's expence, and feat them
home very well fatisfied.

Their country is fituated between Carolina and
Eaft Florida, eaRward of Mobile j thefe people
have never been conquered by the Spaniards, who
are become their declared enemies. The empe-
ror always dined at M. Aubert's table, with his
regent. The others had not the fame honour

done

* The j?oat «vhich the emperor had on when he arrived at
the Allibamons, had been given him by a captain in the
king of Great-BiitainV army. He laid it by on this public
day, through political views, and in order to get one from
the Fren'ch,

L O U I S i A N A. 27^

done them, in order to inlpire them with a
greater regard for the French officers. I mult
tell you, that the fon of that nobje Kawytas
whom the French had honourer with the pom-
pous title of emperor, was very much at a lofs
the firft time he dined with us •, for he had ne-
ver made ufe of a fork before; therefore he
looked at us very attentively, in order to imi-
tate our way of eating. His regent had not the
fame patience, he took the breall and back bone
of a turkey and broke it with his Hugers, fay-
ing, that the Mafter of life had made them be-
for-^ tlie knives and forks were made.

Towards the end of the repaft we had a
little farce with the hired fervant of the Empe-
ror, who ftood behind his Indian majefty dur-
ing dinner j this fellow obferving that we eat
muftard with our boiled meat, afked M. de Sou-
din what it was that we feemed to rclifh fo
much ; as this officer fpeaks the language of the
nation, having lived forty years among them,
he anfwcred, that the Frenc)i were by no means
covetous of what they po/Teffed; the Indian
immediately took a fpoonful of muftard, which
being very ftrong, forced him to make many
ridiculous contortions, which made his mafter
burft out laughing -, his fervant was far from
"j T 2 laughing

2^6 t R A \^ EX ^ ' throVg«I

laughing / for he thoVig^t fie'^is poifoned ; M.
Aubert ordered a bdftledf brandy to bt brbtight
and bidhirfj tal^e a go^d draught, affUringhtm
that ht would be cutedimtnediatcly.

•::i -nKi-r

The Kawytas are very referved towards-
flrangers in matters of religion ; they never'
fpeak in public till they have reflected fuffici-
cntly on what they are going to fay.

Thefe people annually hold a general affertibly
in the principal village of their nation j there is
a grea* hu^ for that purpofc, in which everyone
takes place according to his rank, and has a right
to fpeak in his turn *, according td his age, abi-
lities, wifdom, and the ferviccs he has done hts
country.

.:.M

It.

The grand chief of the tribe bpfenfs thefeflion
by a fpeech, which concerns the hiftory or tra-
diti'- of their country ^ he tells the military ex-
ploits of his ancefiors, who hav«e diftinguifhed
thenirelves in defence of their couritry, exhort-
ing Tiis fubje£ts to imitate thcir'virtlies, in fup-
jporting the wan t^ and miferies of human life

with

* The Indians difapprove of the European habit of fpeak-
ingfall together in an afinnt!)Iy.*

LOUISIANA.

with patience, and above all, without complain-
'ing agamft the Great Spirit, who ii the Lord of
the life of every being here on earth ; and in en-
during adverfity with courage, and laftly in fa-
crificing every thing to the love of their country
and of liberty •, it being a thoufand times more
glorious to die as a man, than to live as a vilj
flave.

The chief having ceafed fpeaking, the oldeft
among the nobles riles, falutes his fovereign,
and harangues with his body naked to his gir-
dle ; he is all over in a fweat, on account of
the heat which hii adion and declamation throws
him into -, his geftures are natural, and his me-
taphors explain his mind : he perfuades his au^
dicnce into a belief of all that he fays, by his
eloquence, and the excellence of his difcourfe.
Nothing is more edifying than thefe aflemblies ;
you hear no prattling, no indecency, no ill-
timed applaufe and no immoderate laughter
there. The young men are very referved and
attentive to hlar the words of the old men, be-
ing perfuaded that it is for their good. .

L E T-

278 TRAVELS

THROUGH

^if^e¥^ef^^s

j^^^!^m^^^{

, I^ E T T E R XVII.

fo the fame.

ne Author leaves the Allibamons. His Naviga-
tion in the River of TomhMiL How he ef
capp the voracioufnefs of an Alligator, He meets
with a Party of revolted Chaftaws, and brings
them to their Duty again. He returns to
Mobile.

•'f - '•

SIR,

^)f(^^ N S T E A D of an ^nlwer to ^he letter
II I ^ which I had wrofe to the governor, I
)tW^1iA received an order at ti? Allibamons to
go to Mobile, and fcrve there under the orders
of M. de Fdle, the king's lieutenant in that
place ; thus in ftead of going to France as I had
told you, I have got orders to command a con-
voy of provlfions and ammunition to ♦he fort

LOUISIANA.

279

tomhekbe, which is fituated on a river of the fame
name, this ftation is about ten legues from the
nation of Cha^aws^ I have followed my inftruc-
tions with the greateft cxaftnefs, and to the en-
tire fatisfadion of my fuperiors •, the letters
and certificate which 1 can Ihcw up, are proofs
of it.

I left Mobile on the 20th of Auguft I759»
with three boats, in which were foldiers and
Mobile Indians: the latter offer thcmfelves to
help the French in rowing, for fome trifle or
other which is given them.

You embark in the river Mobile^ and after go-
ing up about fifteen league- , you come to a place
c2\\td\^Fourche (i. e. the fork) that is the junc-
ture of two rivers which fall into the Mobile^
viz. the river of Mibamons and the river Tom-
behe-, I entered into the laft on the 27th of Au-
guft, in order to go up to tlie fort •, we were in
the fine feafon, and I had chofen a very proper
place for a camp on the banks of a river •, the
Indians having had good fuccefs in fifliing there-
abouts, made me a prefent of a barbel, a fifli
of about four feet long, which they commonly
dry. The weather being fair, I did not chufe
to pitch my tent, but only fat down by myfelf

T 4 upon

*8o TRAVELS thuoitgh
upon a kind of plat-form covered with green
fods, which overlooked the river, thintdng that
place the mod convenient for refting : I fpread
the bear's Ikin taken in my pretended govern,
ment, and wrapped myfelf up in my tent, cover-
ing my face with it, becaufei:hc vapours at night
are dangerous in this feafon j this little nicety
was near colting very dear to me as you
/hall fee. '

T. *

' I had put my fiOi at my ftet, Icfl it fhould
be llolcn ; but it happened worfe. I had al-
ready flept for a whole hour very quietly, for
the inhabitants of thefe parts are our allies and
friends, when all of a fuddcn, I found myfelf
carried away by an extraordinary force, I awoke
immediately, belic/ing fomeone was playing me
a trick ; I aflTure you I never was more- fright-
ened, and I believe that a thing of lefs tonfe-
qucnce will often have the iame efFedj I
tiiought the devil was carrying the off. I called
'for help, and the peopk -betieV^^d thai I was
dreaming, or a vifionaryj but how great was
my (lirprife when I awoke. I faw an alligator
(crocodile) of above twenty feet long •< j he was

comfe

'*Ul.

• His fize fVightcncU mc, and I was !ike\Vife infeae(i wjth
tl.fi V;4 *'"Vvll of mii<k wlii^h chat.iiiiimal carries \vith jt,

I^ O U I S I A N A. 28i

tatnt ©ut of the rivef in the calm of night, and
voracious as thefe creatures are, being attraaed
by the barbel which lay at my feet, he greedily
feil upon k, and tarrying it to the river he took
me along by the corner df the tent In which I
had wrapt myfdf up. I had time enough l^ft
to get out of it, at the bordef of the precipice
and fo efcaped with the fright. I only faved the
bear's fkin, which I never leave now. Thh
ftory, plain as it is, may pafs for a prodicror
among thofe who love the marvellous.

The C^%>2^x and fTafichas, two little In
Hian natioris, which live above New Orleans
fight with the crocodiles, or alligator., inth. wa-'
ter in the following manner.

One takes a piece of hard wood, oi
and Iharpens it at both ends ; he takes hoia
in the middk?, and fwims with that one arm ex-
tended. The alligator advances with his mouth
open, m ordtr to devour the arm of the Indian
who thmfts in his hand in which he holds the'
piece of wobd, and the alligator pierces both
his jaws through with it, tan neither open ndr
fi^ut his mouth again, and is brought on fhore
^y the Indians they often take this diverfion i

itt

TRAVELS THROUGH,*

and the negroes of Guima or of Senegal do the
fame.

After going up about fixty leagues between
forcfts and mountains which confine the river,
we met with fuch low water, that we were
obliged to unload all the goods, and hide them
in the woods j I only left the provifions and am-
munition in the boat, and gave them all my at-
tention. I never was in a more difagreeable fi-
tuation ; we wei obliged to draw the boats for
Upwards of fifteen leagues •, I put myfelf at the
head of the foldiers and In«3ians, and drew at
the cord, in order -to fet them an example.
.Ypu may judge of my uneafinefs, if you wilj
confider that during this piece of work, it would
have been eafy to defeat and to plunder us. 2
.met a party of revolted Cha^aws, going to the
Englilh i I exhorted tl.em to return •, they
croffed the river in a place, called in their lan-
guage TaJkakuJfaSy which fignifies the white
mountain * •, their cKief, whole name is Mingo
Hoivmas, had the infolencc to pretend he could
oblige me to give him brandy -, he even was au-
dacious enough to lift his hatchet over my head.

• It is a Urtd of r.aiie or chalk which would be of giCit
vaJue iii Europe.

L O U I S i A N

A. 283

On this occsfion, I told him I was a true man,
that I feared not dcar:h, that I had given up my
body *, and was willing to die, being perfuaded
that if n- killed me and my warriors, who
were but few, the grand chief of the French,
beyond the great lake, would revenge my biood
on. their naaon, by fending as many warriors
there, as there i»re leaves on the trees.

Thefe men were furprifed at my refolution;

they faid, " That I w. a man of valour ; that I

** made them recover their wits which they had

loft in ibrming the detcftablc defign of leaving

* their fathcr»s hand, but that thev hoped I
" would forget what was paft, becaufe I was
** very good." At the end of tMs harangue,
they prefented the calumet of peace to me,
which I accepted on condition that I fhould
fmoke with a new fire out of it, to fignify aft
eternal oblivion of what had paft, and a reno-
vation of the alliance with the aa£l,,ws^ chil-
dren of the grand chief of the French. To
convince them that I would forget the paft, I
told them that the fire would be produced of
Itfelf.

* Thsit h, devoted mykU to die for my country.

284 TRAVELS TkJRouGH

In my laft voyage from France I took with
me a little phial of phofpliorus j I put fomc of
this powder into the calumet of peace, and
looked up to the iky in pronouncing fome words
addreflcd to the Great Spirit 5 in the rtican time
the phol'phorus being expofed to the air, fet fire to
the tobacco, which furprifed, not only the In-
dians, but even the Frenchmen who were with
me, becaufe they had never feen the experiment
tried with this powder.

After this myfterious ceremony, t made thefb
people prefents of fome European trifles, and
gave their chief a bottle of brandy, for it is
4cu(lomary among the Indians, that when you
treat with them, you muft give fomething to
confirm your words. Then they all (hook hands
iwith me, and went back to their village.
Thef told me, they were alhamed of their
fooliih conduft, and we. fepar-ted, fatisfied with
«ach other.

Some time after this adventure, the rains were
ti frequent, that they fwcKcd the water in the
river very much,

As I had difpatched an Indian to M. de Cha-
^rty governor q£ Fort ^embtkhi-, he fcnt me a

detachment

LOUISIANA. i8'$

detachment commanded hj IL de Caharttj^ « vf^
ry (kilful otfHcer, who was of gneat&rvice t»:m*
on this occaTion, by braigmg me refreflimentf
for my foldiert, who iiad hardly any provifiDna

Oiir European coxcombs, who carry miBrorsi
toilets, mgbt-gowns, &c. with them, wouid be
looked upon as women by the Indians, and not
as chiefs of the warriors : they would not diftin*
guiih themfclves in thofe campaigns, where they
muft endure the exceffive heats of the furamer,
and the rigours of winter, lie on the bare ground,
and expofc thcmfelves to all the changes of wea-
ther, in order not to be furprifcd by the Indian?.
Mr. Bfadl^cky general of New England in 1755,
made th* fatd experimerit, when he came to
take Fort du ^ene j he was maflacred with his
whole army at fome diftance from that place,
by a fmall number of French, and fome feit?hful
Indians, led by brave Canadian and European
officers, who did wonders of bravery in^'tllis
adion. •**^'' ' k' )'^

At laft I happily arrived at Fort Tcmbel^^hn
the 25ih of September, after going a hundred
leagues by water, without feeing a fingle liabtta-
tion. Every night we are obliged to camp in the

^ woods

im T R A V E L S .T^Ro^cn

woods upon the banks of the river v but the
gfcateft inconvenience arc the Mtjkitoes ov Mar,
rtHgeins, a kind of gnats which arc infupportable
in Louiftana, In order to be free from them, we
put great reeds into the ground, and bent them
over like arches j we then covered them with a
linen cloth, and laid down a bear*5 (kin as a
znacrafs. All the voyages made by people of
the colony are done in the fame manner by wa-
ter. '

( After going on Qiore to camp, the command-
ing o0icer fliould always take care to appoint a
guard, and to place fentinels in the woods to
prevent furprifes. The officer ought always to
,be very careful in chufing an advantageous fitu-
ation for his camp, fuch as an ifle or a cape.

auw - .' ....

, If the Sieur D* * * had taken thefe precau-

I lions, when he was fent to the Illinois by M. de
Bienville, in 1735, with a boat laden with gun-
powder, in order to .carry on the war with the
Chickfaws, he would not have been furprifed, as
he was, by a party of warriors of that nation.
It may be aflcrted, that the negleft of that offi-
cer has been no lefs fatal to us, than the mcan-
nffs, ignorance, and avidity of the governor of
the fort of the Natcfas \ this boat laden with
^ powder,

L O U I S I A N

257:

powder, being taken by the Chickfinvs, fcrved
them to carry on the war againft us for above
thirty years, and caufed the death of many
brave men, and the lofs of many millions of
money to the king.

-4* '1

The following is, in a few words, the man-
ncr m which M. Z) * * » was furprifed and la.
ken pnfoner. One day when it blew a north
wind, he was obliged to bring his boat to the
Ihore and fo encamped thereon, in order to.
wait for better winds. He went out hunting,
and his foldiers did the fame in imitation of
their chief; h^t iht Chickfaws, who had follow
cd and watchea them for a long while, took th«
boat with the gun-powder, and made aU the
foldiers in it prifoners. When M. D "" * •*
turned from hunting, he was invefted and takTn
as his foldiers had been ; but the Indians, con-
tented with their capture, and having loft none
of their people, granted them their lives • M
I?^ * * had the good luck to efcape, and re'
turned to New Orleans.

When one is on a journey, he Ihould always
have an Indian fcout to go before him, both for
the fake of reconnoitring the enemy or prevent-
ing furprifes, and likwifc for findinc owe game.

§ ^f

■#

2i&8 TK A V EL S '■ i^r^uok

It happened tb me as I was gdiitg up the rivcri
oi TomhiBe^ that I was in !«*ant X)f provifioiis,
b^U PravideccB fuppliJed kvilibly., The.:ihi5
dianj, wiw: s^fc. like ierrcts in the woods, earned
to give me advice that they. -had made a good
difcovery j they found the neft of a great eagle,
called the royal eagit * i as thp tcce^OM .whicii ihis

^ t • nirfb

-*< ' I

'•"Thtf eagle here called thp ro^aly Is callc^ ip Englifh th/i(
dtf/aV» £flf/?, i*if»«. J?/-. Zooh p. 6i. t'a1j. A. and in 8vo vol. i.'
p, 121. Falco chryfeetos, Linn, and Le grand aigle royal i
Flfvtches \mkmncet% tab. 410. ^ Nb. iPonmnt x«lates, ^m
^mtK^ hiftory of Kerry, " That f pq^r j^^^ iii lAat counCjf
«• got a comfortabl.e fybfiftence for hj? Jf^n^l^f during a fum-
•• mer of famine, out of an ragle's ncft, by jobbing the ea-
« glets of the ^od the old ones -brought.'* This in fome
nieafure confirms our audior's accotint. W., Buffon, in his
Hiji. mtifreUt des oifuiux, 12BI0. edih: vol.i. p. \iy. at4
tacks M. Siakrnt, four having telateditl^fr^cfiuat. ho got ffoo^
a friend, w/w ftun^ tkrtt firgnf^ £^{f^ ff A¥' k^ttdin a nefi^%
fixed htfween Hvo rocks, M- de Buj^ony though a great natu-
ral hiftorian, is frequently fuBjfeft t<^ hafve his peculiar ojit-
nin&s, which he defends againft all &^« proving the con*-
trary : and, by his eloquence, he expjains away the ibroi^*
eft arguments ; and invalidates even fads, in io much, that
their ilrength inpipying a^ainil him^.4^viAdIei q|ute iiway.
Our author had qo pficuligr opinion to favour ; h« muft have
known the bird, which is not uncommon in France, ana
may be feen in th« menageriet of the Kitig and the nobility,
and ill VR^ioUf .^lyjinfts; and thcrsfoM I think ouir author'!

account

L O U I S I A N

A. 289

heft wa^ plated, w^s a very tall one, they came
for hatchets to cut it down ; they were indeed
well paid for their trouble^ for they foynd a
greit quantity of game of all kinds in the neftj
fuch as fawns, rabbets, wild tiirkies, grous,
partridges, and wood-pigeons, there were four
eaglets in it, already pretty ftrong ; thefe the In-
dians took for themfclves, to the great forrov^
of their parents, who would have picked out
their eyes, if the Indians had not been armed
with mulkets i the poor birds were quite furious,
and the eagle is very juftly called the king of
the birds on account of his intrepidity; but th6
balls did not fpare their feathered majefties, who
Vot.L U fei,

account a ftrohg proof agalnft M. Buffon^ opinion, that the
golden eagle has nci more than two eaglets, feldom three
never fodr. This will be a warniiig to all naturalift,, not
too muclito rely upon the aflertions of that French natural
hiHonan, who, with all lus abilities, indu.'ges too much
his opinions, in fpite of faifts that are againft him I
know and acknowledge the merit of this able zoologilt, but
as his fine language, the fine prints, the vanity of the
Frcrich nation^ and the prefent fa/hionable tafte, have pro-
cured him a high reputation, it is ho more than natural thar
his tuthority fhould bcdfcifive with many, who Lke rather
iight /ummr-rtadiHg, than the heavinefs of a critical difcut
fion in natural hiftory* I therefore thought, that fuch a
hmt might be fcrviccable to ihofe whom M. de Buffm woild
ear// a-ftray by his florid llyje, \.

290 TRAVELS THROUGH

fell the vi(5lims of parental love. The Indians
told me, that the great Spirit fent us thefe pro-
vifions i indeed it was to be looked upon as a
manna fent by Providence, which favoured us
in thefe defarts.

I have received news here fronn New Orleans,
from whence my friends write, that every thing
is in great confufion there, on account of an
Englifti (hip v/hich is arrived from Jamaica as a
fmuggling vefTel, commonly called there an /«-
tirloper.

This fhip is called the TVxf/, commanded by
Captain Bias- Arias, a Jew, born an Englifli
fubjeft. The Ordonnateur having found, that it
ought to be confifcatcd according to the orders
of the marine, has feized it for the King's ac-
count i M. de Belleijle, who is fort major, and
the governor's locum tenens, has been requefted to
aflifl: with the military for that purpofe j but M.
de Kerlerec returning from Mobile, has fufpended
M. de Belleifle in the performance of his func-
tions J that governor afterwards has had M. de
l^ochemore''^ fecretary taken up at three o'clock
in the morning, by a detachment of foldiers,
who, after breaking the doors and windows,
dragged him out of bed, and put him on board

a vcf-

L d tr t s t A N A. ic^

a vcfTel, the deftiriation of which remains un*
known : upon this M. Ji Rechemare has fent to
the minifter, Monfieur de Fontemlle, counfeUo^
in the fuperior council

When I Ihall be better infortned of all that
has happened there, I fhall impart it to you ; I
write to the governor to grant me my recall to
New Orleans,

I am, S I R, &o.

*f/ Tomhekbi^ the i^th of
September 1 759,

Ud.

1 E IV

igz TRAVELS through

gM f^ ^]^ ^yt Ji^y^ frn ^^ ^r%
M:eC kM U)^ kjd l^X kj3 ii kjf

LETTER XVIII.

To the Same,

Defcription of the Country of the Chadaws. Their
IVars i their Way of treating their Sick ; their
Superjlition '^ their Commerce -y their Plays of
Exercife. Country of the Tchicachas or Chick-
faws, our Enemies,

SIR,

3*"59C59C"*1 Thought of fetting out from hence in
S I S two days, but the defire of knowing
k.59C39Cjw( ^^he moft warlike and moft numerous
nation of Louiftana made me change my mind ; I
employ my leifure hours to defcribe what I have
feen and heard of them. The Cha^aws are en-
tirely the friends of the French ; they have given
proofs of it under the government of M. Perrier,
when they were made ufc of to punilh the Nat-

(hes

ir O U I S I A N A. 395

thes who maflacrcd the French that were fettled
among them. The court likewife annually
makes them prefcnts to keep them in our intercft.
This nation can bring four tho.ufand warriors in-
to the field, who would march with pleafure. It
would be very eafy, if it was managed as care-
fully as it ought to be, to make them fmg their
fongs of war, and ftir them up to revenge ui
againft the Engli^, who are committing hoftili-
ties in our pofT^ffions in Canada ; thefe people
might on occafion ferve us to great advantage,
if they made incurfions into the Britifh colonies,
efpecially the provinces of Georgia and Carolina,
which are quite empty, all their troops and the
national militia having been fent to the liege of
^ehec. Many brave officers of this colony,
who fpeak the language of the Indians, fuch as
M. de RouviUe, dti njenet, and others, are eager
to head fbme parties of this nation, who could
dettroy the crops of our enemies, would pillage
and burn their habitations, and give the alarm
even to the walls of Charles-town, which might
make a diverfion in favour of Canada, -'.

The ChaSlaws love war, and are acquainted
with ftratagems. They never fight in order, or
ftand their ground, they only harrafs and teaze
^heir enemies much, without being cowards j

y 3 ^ for

$^ TRAVELS THftoiroK

fof when tKey come to clofe engagement, they
fight very coolly. Some of their women arc £b
fond of their hu(bands as to go into the wan
with them. They ftand l?y their iid€J» in the
Jjflttle, with a quiver full of arrowj^ jukJ encour
rage them continually by telling them, they
iPUght not to fear their er>emics, byt dip as (rue

The ChaSiaws arc very fuperftirious j when
jhcy go to war they confult their Manit&Ut who
is carried by the chief. They always expofe him
po that fide where they arc to go to\yards the ene-
my, and place fome warriors as fentinels round
Jiim. They have fuch a veneration for him, that
they do not eat till the phief has given him firft
hisfliare. '

During the continuance of the war, they obey
their chief very exactly » but as foon as they re-
turn, they only confider him according to the
liberality with whjch he difppfes of his pror
perty.

It 3$ a cufton among them, that when the
chief of a party of warriors has got booty from
thp enemy, he muH: diftribute it to the warriors,
a|idto the relations of thofe who have been kill-
ed

L O U I S I A N A. 295

ed in battle, in order, as they fay, io dry up their
tears. The chief keeps nothing for himfelf, ex-
cept the honour of being the fupport of the na-
tion.

Interefl, which is the caufe of fo many crimes
in the old world, is unknown in the new world j
it is not without reafon that the Cuba Indians
faid, Gold is the true God of the Spaniards, and
we muft give it them in order to have peace. In
America we do not fee any of thofe men, whom
we call favages^ kill their brothers in cool blood,
or make ufe of falfe witneffes to undo ihem, in
order to get their eftates. Thofe intrigues are
unknown there, which are made ufe of to ac»
quire riches, by means unworthy of a human
being. No wife poifons her hufband there, as
js done in Europe, in order to marry again.
There are no women lafcivious or audacious
enough publicly to declare the impotence of
their hufbands, as the European women doj
nor does any Cacique's wife get her hu/band
ftrangled, as that Neapolitan princefs did with
her's, becaufe he would ,not fatisfy her brutal
pafllon i no girls there deftroy their own ofF-
fpring, in order to appear chafte in the eyes of
men. The Indian women abhor the Chriftian
girls who falj into that cafe i ihey oppofe the

y 4 iiercelt

396 TRAVELS THRowGK

fierccft wild beafts to them, becaufe they take
great care of their young.

If the chief of a ps^rty of ChaSlaws does pot
fuccecd in the war which he has undertaken, he
lofes all his credit -, nobody has any triilt in his
command, and he is oblip/d to come down to
the rank of a mere warrior. However, admire
the variety of opinions among the different na^
tions. It is no fhame, if, among thefe warlike
people, a man turns his back upon the enemy.
This defertion is attribu::d to a bad dream •, if
the chief of a gr at party, having dreamt that
he will lofe fome men, tells his waniors that he
has had a bad dream', they return immediately
to their village ; as foon ias they arrive there,
they have rccourfe to phyfic, i. e. to juggler's
tricks, which they employ on all occafions j
then ti.ey march towards the enemy ; and if they
meet him, they kill five or fix of his men, and
come home as content as if they had fubdued ^
great empire.

1 ■

A (general who {Jioiild gain a viftory with the
lob iit many of his men, would be ill received
by them ; becaufe they do not valu^ a vi<5tory
when it is bought with the blOod of i ir friends
fiiui relations: their chiefs are always careful to

preferve

LOUISIANA.

prefervc their warriors, and never attack the ene
my imlcfs they are fure of an eafy vidory, either
on account of their numbeis, or their advantage-
ous fituation ; but as their adverfaries ai'e Hke-
wife cunning, and cvude all the fnarcs that are
laid for them, it depends then upon fupcrior
fineiTc; therefore they hide themfelves in the
woods in day-time, and only walk at night j if
they are not difcov^^red, they attack by break
of day. As th^y are generally in a woody coun-
try, he that goes firft fometimes Carries a very
thick bufh before him, and as they all follow
each other in a file, the laft hides the marks of
shcir feet, by putting the leaves on the ground
on which they went in order again, fo as to
Jeave no veftiges that might betray them.

The chief things by which they difcover their
enemies are the fmoke of their fires, which
,they can fmell to a very great diftance, and their
tracks or footfteps, which they can diftinguifh
in an incredible manner. One day an Indian
ihewed me, in a place where I had feen nothing,
the footfteps of fome Frenchmen, Indians, and
Negroes, and the time when they had gone chat
way ; I own that this knowledge is amazing : it
may well be faid, that when the Indians apply
to any fingle thing, they excel in it. '

Their

299 TRAVELS through

Their art of war confifts, as you fee, in vigi-
lance, attention to prevent furprife, and to at-
tack the enemy unprepared, in patience and
iVrength to fupport hunger, thirft, the rigouri
of the weather, and the labours and fatigues in*
feparable from war.

He that has done a fine adlion carries the
fcalp of his dead enemy as a trophy, and gets
the mark of it made on his body, then he
mourns for him, and during that time, which
laih a month, he muft not comb himfelf ; and
when his head itches, he is only allowed to fcratch
it with a little rod, which he ties to his wrift for
that purpofe.

The Chactaws and their wives are very un»
cleanly, living chiefly in places at a diltance from
rivers. They have no kiiid of religious fervice,
they live without troubling their heads with fu,
turity, and however believe that they have an
immortil foul. They have a great veneration
for their dead, whom the- -'do not bury. When <i
Cha^aijs dies, his corpfe is expofcd upon a bier,
jnade on purpofe, of cyprefs bark, and placed
on four polls fifteen teet high. When the
worms' have confumed all the flefli, the whole
family alTcmbles j fome one difmembers the fVc,

leton,

LOUISIANA.

*95r

teton, and plucks off all the mufcles, nerve*
and tendons that ftill remain ; they bury them
and depofit the bones in a cheft, after colouring
the head with vermiliion. The relations weep
jduring this ceremony, which is followed by ^
feaft, with which thofe friends are treated who
jcome to pay their compliments of condolence ;
after that, the remains of their late relation are
brought to the common burying ground, and
put in the place where his anceftor*s bones were
depofited. During the performance of thefc
fad ceremonies, a deep filence is obferved, they
neither fing nor dance, and every one goei
home weeping.

In the firft days of November they celebrate
^ great feaft, which they call the feaft of the
dead, or of the fouls ; all the families then go
to the burying-ground, and with tears in their
eyes vifit the chefts which contain the relics of
Illations, and when they return, they give a
great treat, which finilhcs the feaft.

It may be faid in praife of thefe Americans^
.that the friend (hip fiibfifting among the relations,
a thing uncommon in Europe, is worthy of imi-
tation. I have mentioned fome inftances of it
which exceed thoie of antiquity. The mutual

love

300 TRAVELS THRotroi^

love of the Indians towards each other, inclines
them to affift each other when they are infirm.
This fincere love particularly Ihews itfelf in the
laft duties which they pay to their friends and re-
lations by their tears and grief, even then, when
they exift no more.

The Indians in general have a great vene-
ration for their doftors or jugglers, who are
real quacks, that impofe upon the people, and
live handfomely at their expence. They have a
great authority among the Indiam, and the latter
go to them upon every occafion for their ad-
vice ; they confult them as oracles. When a
ChaSiaw is fick, he gives all he has in order to
be cured by them ; but if the patient dies, his
relations attribute his death to the phyfic, and
HOC to his indifpofition ; and can confequently kill
the dcaor if they hive a mind to do it ^ j how-
ever, this cafe fcarce ever happens, as they ge-
iierally have an excufc at hand. Thefe doftors
are, however, acquainted .with feveral excellent
plants for curing the diTcafes common in their

country ;

• There are, likcwife, people in France, who lay the
death of their rf lations to the charge of tl)C phyfician, and
refcmUlc the Indians very much in *eir thoughts on tlji-,
(ubjcd.

L O U I-S I A N A. 3<^i

country ; they know a certain remedy for the

bite of rattle fnakes, and other poifopous
animals.

When the Indians are wounded with a bullet
or an arrow, the doctors or jugglers begin with
fucking the wound of the patient, and fpitting
out the blood : they never employ lint, or tents,
in their chirugical operations ; but they have
the powder of a root, which they blow into the
wound, to accelerate its fuppuration, and they
make ufe of another which dries and heals it ;
they prefervc wounds from mortification, by
bathing them with a decodtion of fome roots,
which they know *.

When they are tired and exceflively fatigual,
after returning from a war, or from a hunt,
they ufe fweating in itoves f , as a reftorative.

♦ M. dt BnJJu would have very much obliged all the
world, by making ufe of his influence over the Indians,
which he repeatedly mentions, in order to get from them the
knowledge of Tuch plants as ihey employ in their feveral dif-
cafes and aliments : this would have been really ufeful, ajid
'• proof of his humanity and curious inquiries. F.

t Thcfc ftovcs arc round huts, built like ovens in th#

middle

302 TRAVELS t

ftROOGtt

In thefe baths they boil all forts q£ medidnat
and odoriferous herbs, whofe effenCes and falts
rifing with the fteam of the water, enter inta
the body of the afflided perfon, and rellores his
loft forces. This remedy is equally good for
abating and deftroying all kinds of pains j of
courfc you fee no Indian affeded with the gout,
the gravel, and other diftempers which we arc
fubjeft to in Europe i but this may likewifc be
attributed to their frequent bodily exercifes.
You lee no great Dutch bellies there, nor any
great tumours under the chin, fuch as the Pied-
montcfe wens.

The Chafbaws put a firm belief in enchanters
and magicians, and when they meet with one
fuch pretended forcerer, they cut off his head
* without any ceremony.

I faw an Indian of the nation of ChaHaws,
tvho had lately been baptized : as he had no

luck

middle of the villages ; they arc kept in ordef by an Alt.^f
or public doctor.

♦ In 1752, when I waut Mobile, I faw an Indian whom
the others killed with a hatchet, becaule he ^srctcnded to be
«■ forcercr. The other Indiant attributed to him all iHc
■viifortuncj that happen to their nation.

LOUISIANA

3^3}

luck in hunting like his companions, he ima-
gined he was bewitched j he went immediately
to Father Lefevre the Jefuit * who had converted
him, and told him that his medicine or trick was
good for nothing, becaufe fince he had praftifed
it upon him, he could kill no flags or roe-deer ;
he therefore defired he would take off his en-
chantment again. The Jefuit, in order to avoid
the refcntment of this Indian, did as if he anni-
hilated the baptifmal ceremony. Some time af-
ter, this Indian killed a roe-deer, either by ac-
cident, or by his own (kill, and thus thought
himfelf freed frv)m the cncha'-iment, ard was
content.

The mind of this nation in general, is very
rough and unpoliihed. Though one tells them
ever fo much of the myfteries of our religion,,
they always anfwcr, that what we fay is above
their underftanding. They have, bcfides, very bad
morals, moft of them being addifted to fodomy.
Thofe defiled men, wear long hair, and a little
petticoat like the women, who defpife them very
much.

The

• The Indians call the Jcfuits the men with the bUcIc
robe ; they fay that they are not like other mcn» and cil*
thtnt women, in deriftOR.

304 TRAVELS THUoifcrt

The Chacfaws are very adive and merry ^
they have a play at ball, at which they are verV
expert •, they invire the inhabitants of the neigh*
bouring villages to it, exciting them by many
Imart Jayings. The men and women aflemble
in their belt ornaments, they pafs the whole day
in finging and , dancing ; they even dance
all the night to the found of the drum and
chichikois.

The inhabitants of each village arc diftin-
guilhed by a feparate fire, which they light in
the middle of a great meadow* The next day
is that appointed for the match ; they agree upon
a mark or aim about fixty yards off, and diftin-
guilhed by two great poles, between which, the
ball is to pafs. TKey generally count fixtecn
till the game is up. Hiey are forty on each
fide, and every one has a battledoor in his hand,
about two feet and a half long, made very
nearly in the form of ours, of walnut or chef*-
nut wood, and covered with roe-fi«inSi

An old man (lands in the middle of the place
appropriated to the play, and throws up into thtf
air a ball of roe-fkins, rolled about each othen
The players then run, and endeavour to ftrikc
the ball with their battledoors i it is a pleaftjre ta

fee

LOUISIANA.

$^S

fee them run naked, painted with various co-
lours, having a tyger's tail faftened behind, and
feathers on their heads and arms, which move
as they run, and have a very odd cfFed : they
pufh and throw each other down ; he that has
been expert enough to get the ball, fends it to
his party ; thofe of the oppofite party run at
him who has feized the ball, and fend it back to
their fide ; and thus they difpute it to each
other reciprocally, with fuch an ardour, that
they fometimes diflocate their Ihoulders by it.
The players are never difpleafed j fome old men,
who aflift at the play, become mediators, and
determine, that the play is only intended as a
recreation, and not as an opportunity of quar-
relling. The wagers are confiderable ; the wo-
men bet among themfelves.

When the players have given over, the wo-
men r.flfemble among themfelves to revenge their
hufbands who have loft the game. The battle-
door they make ufe of, differs from that of the
men, in being bent j they all are very adivc,
and run againft each other with extreme fwift-
nefs, pufhing each other like the men, they hav-
ing the ihme drefs, except on thofe parts which
modefty teaches them to cover. They only put

Vol. I. X rouge

So6 TRAVELS through

rouge on their cheeks, and Vermillion, inftead
of powder, in their hair.

After playing well on both fides all the day
long, every one retires with his glory or fliame,
but without rancour, promifing to play again
another time as well as they can : thus the In-
dians both men and women, exercife themfelves
in running ; they are likewife very fwift, for I
have feen fome run as fait as flags.

The children exercife themfelves in Ihooting
with a bow and arrows for prizes -, he that jfhoots
beft, gets the prize of praife from an old man,
who calls him an apprentice warrior i thus they
are formed by emulation, without corporal pu-
nifhment -, they are very expert in Ihooting with
an inftrument made of reeds about feven feet
long, into which they put a little arrow, fea-
thered with the wool of a thiflrle, and in aim-
ing at an objecl:, they blow into the tube, and
often hit the aim, and frequently kill little birds
with it.

Almoft all the afiemulies of the ChaSlaws arc
held in night-time. Though they are barbarous
and ferocious, it is neceflary, in order f, gain
their confiden:e, to take great care to keep your

promifes

L d u i s i A N A.

307

pi'omifes to them, withoiit which, they treat you
with the greateft contempt, proudly telling you
that you are a liar, an epithet which the Indians^
have given to the prcfent governor, whomn
they call Oulabe MingOi i. ci the lying"

When the womeri are with child, -their huf-'
bands abllairi from fait, and from poi^k, for fear
thofe aliments might do harm to their children-
The women never lie-in in their hiits ; they go
into the woods to be delivered, withput receiv-^
ing any afliftance.

As foori as they are delivered, they wafh 'their
infani- . The mothers apply a mafs df earth
to: the. foreheads of their children, to riiakc
them have flat heads, and as they get more
ftrength they increafe the bulk, it being a beauty
among thefe people to have a flat head. They
hever fwaddle their children.

They never Wean their children till they an;
difgufted with their mother's milk. I have feen
fome children grown up fo as to be able to tell
the mother, fet down, that I may fuckle, and the
mother immediately fat down. Their cradle is
made of reeds, they put their children into -it fo

X 2 that

3o8 TRAVELS through

that their head lies three or four inches lower
than 'he reft of the body, therefore you never
fee any contraded or hump-backed people
amongft them. The women leave the huts in
their catamenia, which the Indian"* call marks
of valour. During that time, they are obliged
to prepare their own meat and drink, and they
do not return among men, till they are tho-
roughly purified. The Indians believe, that if
they come near a woman in that ftate, they
would fall fick, and that if they went to war af-
ter it, they would have bad luck.

Though the Indians only value themfelves
Upon their origin from the fide of the women,
yet the latter are not allowed to corrcdt the
boys i they have only an authority over their
daughters. If a mother Ihould ftrikc her fon,
Ihe would be reprimanded and ftruck again ♦, but
if the boy difobcys her, Ihe muft bring him
to an old man, who inflids a punifhmcnt
on him, and then throws fome frefh water over
his body.

}£ a woman commits an infidelity, (lie muft
pafs through the meadow, i. e. all the young men,
and fometimes even the old ones, fatisfy their
brutality on her, by turns* Such is thepuniH:*

ment

L O

I S I A N

3C9

ment of adultery an jng the Cha£iaws. Some-
times the guilty woman, has the good luck,
after this infamy, to find a mean fellow, who
takes her as his vife, under the pretence that
ihc muft be difguftcd with a criminal conduifl,
that has drawn fuch a punifhment on her, and
that (he will confequcntly behave better for the
future. Be this as it will, ihe is always
looked upon as a depraved and immoral wo-
man.

Before I finifh my letter 1 muft fay a word of
the TchicachaSi or Chickfaws. This nation is not
fo numerous as the ChaSiaws, but more terrible,
on account of their intrepidity. All the
northern and fouthern Indian nations, and even
the French, have attacked them, without ever
being able to drive them out of their country,
which is the fineft and moft fruitful on the con-
tinent. The Chickfaws are tall, well made, and
of an unparalleled courage. In 1752 and
1753, they attacked MefT. Benoiji and de Reggio^
who commanded the convoys from the Illinois
flation, defcending the river Miffiftppi: thefe
Indians always choofe fome advantageous fitua-
tion, to make an attack in, their moft common
poft is at the rocks of Prudhomme, the river be-

X 3 ing

310 TRAVELS THROUGH

ing narrow there, they can annoy the boats
which have no decks. ^

It is believed that the Qhickfa'ws killed MefT.
Bouffelct and de la Morliere ; thefe two officers,
though they v/cre^ very brave, fell into an am-
bulcade for want of experience, not knowing
the topograpliy of the country they were in any
more than general Braddock. An officer ought,
therefore, always to apply to that, in order to
avoid furprifcs, or elfe he fhould always be on
the defenfive and prepared. ' ^^

The EngliJJi have always been in alliance with
thefe valiant warriors ; they have always traded
with ;hem^ and fupplied all their wants.

The Indians of this nation ride well on horfe-
br-k : they leave the care of cultivating and fow
ing their grounds to their women, who are hand-
fome and cleanly. When a Chickfaw has killed a
, roe-deer, he tells his wife whereabouts it lies ;
ihe goes to tetch it, dreffes it, and ferves it up
X.Q her hufband : the women never eat with the
men, who feem very indifferent about them, but
really love theiii better than any other nation.

The

LOUISIANA.

311

The ^chicachas, or Chickfaws^ only pnnifli
adultery with whipping the two offenders who
have been caught in the fa6t, making them run
naked through the village j after which the huf.
band repudiates his wife.

As thefe Indians gave Ihelter to the' Natches,
after the maffacre of the French, the latter armed
in 1736 againil, and attacked them, with
the united forces of the whole colony, but with-
out fuccefs.

M. d*Artaguette major and governor for the
king, in the country of the Illinois, came to join
M. de Bienville the governor of Louiftana ; he
brought him the troops of the Illinois, and from
the frontiers of Canada, but the army which
that officer commanded, was furprifed zm} de-
feated, becaufe he had been abandoned by the
Indians, who were our allies. M. d'Artamette
was taken, with feven officers, and about twenty-
fix foldiers and inhabitants, by the Chickfaws,
who burnt them alive i among them 1 the
Father Senat a Jefuit, who went with M. d'Ar-
taguette in the quality of chaplain. The detail
of this tragic feene has been related by a ferjeant,
called Louis Gamot, who was a fpedtator of the
fad fate which hjs companions underwent j he

X 4 was

"lit I

3ii TRAVELS through
referved to be burnt laft, but he efcaped by an
odd flratagem. As he was acquainted with the
language of the Indians^ he employed it on this
occafion to utter iiwedtives agaihit them ; and
getting loofe, he threw all he found near him
at their heads, faying, you are dogs, becaufe you
have burnt my chiefs ; I will be burnt too, I fear
neither fire nor death, for I am a true man,
make me fufFer much, becaufe I defire it. The
Chickfazvsy feeing his refolution, looked upon
him as an extraordinary fellow, and granted
him his life s he was afterwards ranfomed by an
Engiijlnnan fiom Carolina, and is now at Charles-
town the capital of tiiat colony.

In another expedition againfl: the Tchkachas,
which was undertaken on the 26th of May in the
fame year, and commanded by M. (ie Bienvilh,
we had not any more fucccfs j many brave offi-
cers loft their lives in it, and the major-geneml
of the army, and the adjutant received fuch
dangerous wounds, that the lalt died of them.
I have lieard f om the Chevalier <k Lucer, who
is of a Swifs offspring, that his father, who fcr-
ved as captain in our troops, had been in this
unlucky expedition-, this officer has likewife
told me the Itory of the Chevalier de Grondei,
who now belongs to ii:c garrifon of Mohile, and

commaniii

LOUISIANA.

313

commands the Swifs troop of the regiment gf
flalwill, belonging to the fervice of the marines-,
he had then the command of a detachment of
grenadiers of the regiment of Karrer, in M. 4e
Bienville's army againft the Chickfaws.

In order to abridge the account of this affair,
I ihall only fay, that this officer, joining fidelity
and bravery natural to his nation, to the impe-
tupfity of youth, received fwe fhot in his body
during the attack. As he remained on the field
of battle after the retreat, he was jufl going to
become the objefl of the enemy's vengeance and
fury, if feveral foldiers of his troop had not ge-
neroufly expofed their lives to fave his, not-
withftanding the balls and arrows which were
fent at them from the fort of the Chickfaws,
killed five of them one after another.

However, one, without fearing the danger,
returned to the field, and happily arrived in his
troop carrying his officer on his Ihoulders. The
chief furgeon of the army tried all he knew to
cure him, and the general, who values military
merit, did not fail to give in an account of the
officer's behaviour at court j and M. de Maure-
pas, in confideration of the wounds M. de Gron-
del had received, granted him an cxtraordmary

grati-

-rrn

3f4 TRAVELS through

graitification, tijl he could get the crofs of $L
Louis.

The foldier* who faved him at the peril of his
life, was immediately made ferjcant at the head
of his troop. You fee, Sir, by this Ihort ac-
count, how worthy of admiration that well-efta-
bhfhed fubordination is, among the troops of
the Helvetic body, that are fo invioLvbly attach-
ed to the fervice of our King, and how much
thofe that keep it in force feel the happy cfFcds
of it.

The aiflion of thefe foldiera, which was really
an heroic one, well dcferves that their names
ihould be tranfmitted to poflerity.

In 1754, the Baron de Porneuf imparted to
me his intention of going upon a dilcovery into
the weft of Loui/iana, up the MiJJifippi and
the river Mifcuris, the fources of which arc un-
known to us. This officer, who is a Canadiurty
has the proper qualities for undertaking fuch aa
expedition i but the war which arofe between
Frame And Englandy on accot^nt of the bounda^

rics

His na^c was Rtgnijft.

LOUISIANA. 315

fies of thefe countries, has been an obftacle to
the execution of this projet5t.

' I can afTure you, that I Ihould have been very
happy to accompany Iiim, both for the honour
of my King and for my own fati^faaion -, for,
fiotwithftanding the fatigues and dangers 1 have
undergone in my voyages, I have never been
jiifgufted or tired out of patience. Misfortunes
pafs like dreams, and I fee nothing fo happy as
|he life of a traveller ; he con)1:antIy fees new
pbjedls, which inftruct and amufe him at the
fame time. His mind is cultivated in an agree-
able manner, he learns to read the great book of
the univcrfe, which cannot be read in a library,
where there are as man) fyftems, opinions, and
cqntradidions, as authors. If you were in my
place, you would have room to make philolb-
phical reflexions. I am, S I R, &c.

Jt the fort ofTomhekbe, the
^oth of September 1 J ^^.

P. S. As I may perhaps not meet with an op-
portunity of writing to you this good while, on
account of the war, I (hall add here an abftrad
concerning the differences which have arifcn be-
tween

3^'

TRAVELS T

HROUGH

twcen us i.nd the Cha5iaws. Some time after
the war with the 'Tchikachas or ChickfawSy the
French had fome quarrels with a party of Chac-
taws, who followed the intereft of a prince of
their nation called the Red Shoe, who was info-
lent, and committed feveral hoftilities againft the
French. M. de Faudreuil, then governor of Lou-
ifiana, having heard of this action, and what
gave occafion to it, immediately forbid all the
French to go to that nation, and commanded
them not to ffcll them any arms or ammunition,
in order to ftop thefc commotions foon, and
without bloodshed.

The Marquis de Vaudreuil, after thefe precau-
tions, fent to the fovereign of the nation, to in-
quire whether he was angry with th'e French, as
the Red Shoe •, the fovereign anfwcred, by means
of the interpreter, that he was the friend of the
French -, that his general, meaning Prince Red
Shoe^ had lolt his fenfcs.

After this anfwer, he'got a prefcnt, but was
much furprifed to find neither arms nor powder
and fliot in it, at a time when he was cur friend
as before. This proceeding, together with the
prohibition of felling them arms, which they
knew had been ilTucd out, redoubled their afto-

nilhmcnr,

LOUISIANA.

3^7

nifhment, and brought them to an explication
with the governor, who told them, that our
people would not treat with them concerning
arms and ammunition, as long as the Red Shoe
had not found his wits again ; becaufe, if they
got powder, they could not help, being all bro-
thers, to give a Ihare of it to the warriors of
captain or chief Red Shoe. This anfwer deter-
mined them to fpeak to the tribes that infulted
Ui" ; they told them, if they did not foon go with
the calumet to the French, they themfelves
would go to War againft them as rebels. This
threat made them afk peace, and offer a repa-
ration to the French, who were not in a condition
to fuftain a war againft fo numerous a nation.

Thus M. de Vaudreuil, as a wife politician,
put a ftop to this war, without expences to the
ftate, and without expofing a fingle man ; it was
M. de Grand-pr^y a captain of our troops, who
was charged with this important negociation •, the
Marquis could not pitch upon a fitter perfon.
M. de Grand-pri is a Canadian, and ferves the
King with zeal, bravery, and difintereftednefs.
I was upon the point of going to fcrve under
him at Fort 1'omhekbe among the Cfut^aws,
when I firft arrived here in 1751.

LET-

:i8

TRAVELS T

HUOtTGH

1n'Or?fv.

^^^m^

L E t T E R tlX.,

To the fame.

^e Author relurns to Mobile. Remarkable Events
. which happened in tkj Cat's Ifle. "Tragic Death
(^ the Sieur Duxoux governor of that ^ek

SIR,

Pf^fOJC^AM now returned from my voyage
|i> I S up the river of Tombekbe. I have ful-
ilt)!<)J(:^ filled this important and troublefome
•miffion, to the fatistaftion of my fuperiors. In
waiting for my recal to New Orleans, my curio-
fity led me to vifit the little iiles on the coaft of
Louijiana,

The ifle of Maffacre was the firft where th^
French made any fetilcments. It got its name
becaiife the French, when they landed there^
found a great quantity of human (kcletons

but

1- C) U I S I A N A.

519

but could not diftinguifh whether they were of
Spaniards or Indians^

It has fihce been called the Dauphin ifle *. It
Svas peopled by degrees ; they built magaziiies,
a fort, and barracks there.

^ ♦ rt ttixift not be confounded with tJiat which is mentioned
in the relatiba of the firll voyage of th* Eaft India company
to the iOe of Madaga/car, which they called too precipitate-
ly the Dauphin's illand.

The Anditort)f this irlition, who wrtJte Th i6fi^. Mad had
^onc that fame wyage, ^rees that the £„gJijh and Z>k/^^
who were already eftaoHfhed in Jn^ia, were the models
which M, i/e Colbert propofed to imitate, and afterwards to
furpafs ; but all the projecls of that worthy minlfter proved
abortive, both by the imprudence and vanity peculiar to the
tiatibn, ^nd by the inifhia!nagement off thofc who were «tditt
head of affairs.

r'r, ,n-.^

The fame author adds, that he only found there « violent
" and unflcilful men, ill chofcn officers, incapable df theoc-
*• cupation they were intended for ; whereas t^icy ought to
" have been men above the coarfer paflions, with no other
*« inclination* than for th« good of their country, which
" ought to be thw rule by which everyone (hould be guided
' who wilhes to acquit himfelf with honour."

It fe„iis to me, that this ufeful lefTon Ihoald be graved inJ.
to the hea«s of all thofe who gb to our colonics with fomfe
authority.

i have

«<

320 TRAVELS thro toh

In 1 717, the entrance of the harbour was
topped up by a prodigious quantity of fand,
colledcd together by a hurricane -, the whole ifle
was almoft overflowed* and great numbers of
cattle were drowned ; it was neceflary to feek
another port, and they chofc the ifle Surgere^
which has fince been called Ship IJland ; it has a
pretty good harbour. In lyii M. de Bienville
tranfported every one from thence ,to New Or-
leanSi and that place became the capital of Loui-^
fiana.

Six leagues from the Ship IJland is the Cats
IJle, fo called on account of the number of wild
cats which have been fouiid there. This ifle is
only remarkable on account of the murders and
robberies which have been cOiilmitted there du-
ring the command of two officers, who were <ent
thither by M. de Kerlerec, governor of Louijiana*

In 1757, he appointed the Sieur D«rtf«x' chief
commander of this ifle, and gave him a detach-
ment

I have chofen this piece of hiftory as an example, which
has a particular fimllarity with what is feen every day in our
colonies. There are, however, governors and intendants,
that muft not be confounded with thofe who have got for-
tunes with rapidity, and in an odious manner, from the pu-
blic oniferies, and from the blood of many unhappy people.

^ O U I S i A N A. 321

merit of troops from the marines, and from the
Swifs regiment of HalwyL

The Sieur Durotix was no fooner come thither,
than he looked upon himfelf as abfolute; he
immediately aflfumed the right of having a gar-
den made by the fbldiers of the garrifon ; he
likewife employed them to make for him lime
from fhcUs, and chaucoal^ but he never paid
them V and thofe who refufed to fubmit to Uicfe
vexations, were faftened quite naked to a tree,,
and cxpoled to the infupportable attacks of the
maringoim or gnats. This was the punilhmenc
which the officer made the foldicrs of his garri-
fon undergo •, in unworthy treatment, unexamr
pled even among barbarians.

The Sieur Daroux obliged them to make their
bread of the flour faved from the wreck of »
Spanifli ihip, which was loft on the coaft; -<ui
fold for his own account the King's flour, in^.
tended for the ufe of the garrifon. This repeat-
ed bad ufage from this commander, determined
fome fbldiers to go to New Orleans, in order to
complain to the governor, to whom they fhew-
cd fome of the bad bread they were forced to
eat ; hxnM. de Kerlerec paid no regard to their
juft remonltranccs, and fcnt them back at the

Vol. I« y difcr§tion

32i

TRAVELS THRouGir

difcretion of their commander. Then thcfe
wretches, fearing his refentmcnt, refolved to
make an example of him, which they executed
in ceremony.

One day, when that officer was gone out a
hunting in a neighbouring little ifle, the revolt-
ed troop took their meafures for executing
their plot, which was to murder the Sieur
Duroux. So ftrange a refolution could only be.
occafioned by their not having obtained the de-
fired juftice from the governor. If an officer
fuperior to M. Duroux had been fent in liis place,
and the latter left to command as the fecond of-
ficer, this, misfortune would have been avoid-
ed. . ,

As he returned from hunting, the fentinel,
perceiving tJi- boat at fea, hoifled the FreHc/i flao-,
upon which the garrifon took to arms, and went
out into the field. The rebellious foldiers ad-
vancing to the fhore with their corporal at their
head, called to the boat by means of a fpeak-
ing trumpet, acr ^=ng to cuftom; the Sieur
Duroux anfwered, commander •," he lands, and
as he fets his foot on fhore, the corporal gives
the fignal, and at the fame inftant the foldiers
fire, and their commander falls, pierced with

wounds i

b O" U 1 ^ I A N A.

323

vroundsj the foldiers then ftripped him, and
threw hik corpfc into the fca. Such was the bu-
rial • and the punifhment of this petty tyrant*
who was regretted by nobody, for he had no
other recommendation than that of the Sieur
I'hiton^ the governor's firft fecretafyi The fol-
diers, become mafters of the ide, fet at liberty
an inhabitant whofe name was Beaudrot, who had
been unjuftly imprifoned by the late command-
er. The Sieur Durott^c had aflumed the privi-
leges of an admiral of France, and pretended ro
Iharc with the lolJiers and inhabitants all that
they ihould fave of any vcflel wrecked Upon the
Cats IJland; and all that refufed to pay him his
ihare were feverely punilhed, as if they Had
committed fome great crime* This was the
crime-of 5M»^r^/ i he was put in irons becaufe
he would not Ihare fome gdods with the com-
mander, which he had faved from the-^wreck of*
a Spanijli .(hip called the Situan, which was
wrecked on the ifle in 1758,

^ The foldiers who had killed M. t)ui^oux, ha-
ving after./ards pillaged the effcas belonging to
the King in the Cats tfie^ took the inhabitant
whom they had fee free, and obliged him to
bring them into the road to the Englifh colony
©t Carolina, When they arrived in the country

Y2 «f

3:44v T R A V,E L S xHaoircH

of a great Indian chief, whom the Europeans
have ftilcd Emperor of the Kawytas, they fent
back Beaudrot with a certificate, which proved
that l^e had been obliged to ferve them as a
guide. Part of this, troop went towards t/ie
Engli/hyhut thofe who remained among the In-
dians, were foon feized by order of M. duMont-
herauU then governor of the fort at the JlBa-
moHs i among this laft party was a corporal of
the regiment of Halwyly who, in order to avoid
being fawed afunc^er^ as is ufua) among the
Swifs, killed himfclf with a knife, which he
wore hung from hi& Jicck, as the Indians do.

lM..de Beaifditf, an officer of the garrifon, was
feni witii a detachiBent, in order to condut^ the.
criminals to Mobile^ ,■ During this interval, the
two fons of Beaudrot ai-rived dX- Mobile from New
Orleans^ and brought, without knowing it, an
prder from tl?e governor to M. de Felle, who
commanded at Mobile^ for arrefting their father j
who was in his habitation with great fecurlty j he
neti^rned to prifon without relu6lance, not know-
ing that tlie deferters whom he had guided were
taken. M. de Velle tranfmitted the criminals to
Nm Orleans^ where a court-martial was held to
judge them.

Beaudrot

E O XJ r S 1 A N A.

325

Beaudrot the inhabitant, for guiding the mur-
dfcttrs of the governor of Cats JJle^ was fenten-
ced to be broke upon the wheel, and his corpfe
to be thrown into the river j which was accord-
ingly e-^rocuted ; a foldier fuffered the fame pu-
nilhment, and a Swifs was fawcd alive through
the middle of his body.

l^Tien on( "flefts upon the fate 0/ the unhap-
py "Beaudrot^ is eafily perceived that he was
judged contrary '0 form, and by military men,
who were ignorant of civil and criminal laws, as
he could not have deferved the cruel punilhiiient
which he underwent. If politics require that
for preferving public fafety, no crime (hould be
left unpunifhed, juftice demands in favour of
humanity, that the judge fhould always be more
afraid of punifliing too much than too little,
according to the axiom, // is better to let en hun-
dred guilty men efiapy than to punijh one Jingle in-
nocent man.

If the man ought to be punifhed in order to
ferve as an example, according to this law, the
punifliment might have been mitigated in fa-
vour of his wife and four children, whom his
death threw into the greateft dcfolation j among
the four children was a girl of an admirable

Y 3 figure,

itA

iigure, \vho was admired in the whole colony
for her beauty^ and ilill more for her virtue ;
this charming Creole, and the reft of the family,
are retired into an habitation far from the com-
merce of men, to lament the death q£ th,eir un-
liappy father.

This unhappy man had been fuccefsfully em-
ployed in fome important negociations with the
Indians, with whom he Ayas in high cfteem. He
fpoke their language, and, from experience, he
knew tl)e fituation of the country as well as
themielves. He had likewife an extraordinary
bodily ftf-ength. All thefc qualities had Xo f4r
gained him the efteem and friendfhip of the
C/ia^IawSj who had adopted him into their na-
tion, that th,t7 would certainly have revolted on
his account, had not M. de Velle * wifely taken
care to keep his imprifonment and exccutiqn
from corrfing to their knowledge.

After the tragic death of the Sirur DurouXy

M. de Kerkrec fixed upon the Sieur de C.ha y

10 fgcccecj tq the pommsncj of the Cais JJlancl.

Th^t

■' This officer luiows that nation perfcaiy well, having
bfcn gcvcrrior of Tombckbe fo/ feveral years ; the Indians
ctlermed him much on nccount of his bravery and difinteroft-
cd behaviour.

LOUISIANA.

327

That officer fet out from New Orleans in 1758,
with a garrifon compofcd of foldiers and inhabi-
itants of the capital ; but the inhabitants were
all vagrants, whom the magiftrates lent in their
own ttead, with the governor's confent, for the
fervice of the place.

Thefe vagabonds ftayed in the Cats TJle as
long as thole citizens paid them, whofe bufinefs
it was to guard the place. You may well ima-
gine, that a uody of fuch troops, who are not
alternately relieved in their polls, according to
the rule of fervice, take opportunities to lay
fchcmcs for deferting, as it has happened in
many ftations of Louifiana.

In March 1759 there appeared, in fight of
this ifland, a threc-mafted (hip, belonging to
M. St, Criq, a merchant, who had bought her
at the Havannah ; her cargo confifted in fugar,
coffee, taffias, cables, and fome warlike (lores.
The crew were merely Spanilh failors, who
abandoned Captain St. Criq upon the coafl: of
Louiftam near Balife •, this obliged him to em-
bark in his long-boat, with a few men who re-
mained with him. He arrived at Nezv OrknnSy
and addreJed himfelf to M. de Belle-IJle, fort-
major and commander during the governor's

Y 4 abfencc \

Sa'? TRAVELS throi;o«

abitrncc; he begged this officer to give hkn peo-
ple, in order to" go out in fcaich of his fhip,
which could only be loft on the coaft of the Gdts
Jfiard,

M. de Bflk-IJle gave the Sieur $t, Criq an in-
telligent ferjeant and ten foldiers, to navigate
his Ihip ; at the lame time he wrote to the Sieur

^ '• *' That if this fliip were loft near his

" ftation, he fhould immediately place a guard
" on her, and forbid, under pain of death, that
" nothing fhould be unloaded out of her, with-
" out the confent of ti.e Sieur Si. Criq, the pro-
** prietor s and lallly, that he fhould not fail
" to conform to the orders of the King's marine,
" fpecilied under the title Shipwreck,** &c. Un-
happily for the Sieur St. Criq the advice of M. de

Belk'Jjk came too late ; the Sieur de C had

already taken care to have the cargo of the fhip
unloaded by the foldiers and inhabitants, who
hid it in the neighbouring fands ; they took all
,the nccefTary precautions to cover this trick.
The Sieur Si. Criq arriired at the Cats IJIe, put
the major's letter into the commander's hands,
and then went into his fhip with his people in or-
der to fearch her ; but perceiving that he had
forgotren his pocket-book, in which he had the
bill of lading, he left her immediately, and

went

LOUISIANA.

went on IhoPC to fetch it : a happy accident of
l^rovidence ! he was but juft come on (horc,
when his ^ip fuddenly took fire, and burnt with
fuch ficrcenefs, that three men who were in the
hold were burnt to death : the otliers only efca-
ped by throwing themfelves into the fea, and
fwimmmg on (hone *.

The Sieur Si. Criq complained to M. de Kerk-
ree j but after a long delay, the governor ohUgtd
the captain to terminate his quarrel with the
Sieur de C-— , the latter giving the former the
fum of 1500 livres. This commander being n-
j:ailed to N<w Orleans, gave himfelf up to fuch
jdcjbauchcries, that he fcandalizcd the whole colo-

ny.

• At the time when the Sieur St. Criq reclaimed his (hip
with M. de Bell-Ifle, and received his orders addreilcd to M.
deC——^ to take care of the prefervation ofthe cargo, the
governor of the Cats IJle wrote to M. dt Belle-IJk himfelf:
•• That, on fuch a day, a fhip with thrw: mafts was loft in
" fight of his ftaiion, and he having made figns without le-
•* ceiving any anfwcr, he took it to belong to the enemy,
•• who kept his men in clofe quarters ; that he having arm-
*• ed the boat belonging to his ftation, and going into it
*• wi».; all his people, after getting no anfkver upon a rc-
*• pcated fignal, came on board tiie fhip, but found no living
*' foul in her, and the cargo taken out of her ; he only
*« found a cut cable upon the deck, and faw that the fhip
t* was bored for twenty-fix guuj.

330 TRAVELS throuoii «

hW* ii]V^hcnhe l.ad confumcd all that he had
gained by his iniquitous pradliccs, he went on
board a Dutch fliip from Curafao^ a colony 'be-
longing to that republic. The opinions are di-
vided upon the clandcftinc cvafion of this offi-
cer i fome believe, that he cfcapcd in order to
avoid the punifhments which his crimes defer-
ved i others think he was charged with papers
to court from the governor : the event will de-
termine this.

It is fufficicntly proved by this reftitution of

1500 livrcs on the part of the Sieur de C- ,

that this commander had pillaged the fhip of
Captain St.Criq^ getting 60,000 livrcs by it,
according to his own confefTion to the Sieur la
Perliere^ who fucceeded him in the government
of Cats IJland. He has however efcaped the ca-
pital punifhment which this piracy delerved *.
For the quoted order fays, " That all who Ihall
" endanger the life of (hipwrcckcd perfons, and
" lay hands ypon their goods, Hiall be puniflied
" with death.'* This crime is fo enormous,
that, though ope were not a Chriftian, natural

religion

* The Sieur de C , hoping to enjoy the fruits of his

iniquity in France, died there as he had lived, thut is, in
n dcbaucjj, by a decree of Providence.

LOUISIANA.

33«

religion engages us to afllft the unhappy in time
pf danger. Such were the officers in whom
.the governor of Louifima put confidence,

We have juft received advice, that a party of
warriors pf the nation of Chtrokees^ commanded
by their chief of war called Wolf^ have taken
the fort London belonging to Great Britain, and
that the Englifli governor of it, M. Damery^ has
been killed by the Indians, who have put earth
in his mouth, faying, You dog, fmce you arc
lb very greedy of earth, be fatisfied and gorged
witii it J they have done the fame to others.

If I do i)of fet QUt for France^ I Ihall write to
you from x^tw Orleans^ concerning the difcord
between the two chiefs of the colony, M. de
Kerlerec the governor, and M. de Rachemore the
trdonnateur, I am, SI H, &c.

y// Fort Mobile, the loth •
df January 1760.

A'.'

L E T-

532 TRAVELS rnko^tH >

m'^)iL

LETTER XX.

79 fhi fame,

f%e Mth&r ^oes tc New Orleans. Ctu^e of the
Troubles which agitate that Place* Moving
Relation of M. dc Belle-IfleV Captivity among
the Attakapas. Curious jfnimah and falutary
Simples to be met with in Louifiaha*

S I R,

?^jI?^^ have fo much news to communi-
^ I ^ nicate to you, that I know not where
k-.^^:^ to begin,: I wrote to you from Tom-
bekhe^ that every thing was in confufion in the
capital i indeed every body talks of quarrels and
divifions -, avidity and interell are every where
lighting the torch of difcord. As I neither have,
nor will have, any part in all thefe quarrels, and
as I cannot fatisfy my zeal for the king's fcrvice
in this colony, where every thing is in difordcr,

I have

L O U 1 S I ANA. sn

I have not ceafed to demand leave to return to/
France. The moft faithful fubje^ts, who will
do their duty, are contradidled and difgraced.
and their zeal is rewarded with the moft cruel
perfecutions. But without enquiring minutely
into the fufferings of a number of brave officers^
moft of them ftill alive, I ihall only fpeak of
thlofe which M. de Belle-I/kh^& undergone. This,
worthy officer, whofe probity and unqueftibnable
qonduft have gained him the good will and cf»
teem of all worthy men, and efpecially of thi?
general officers, fuch as M. de Perier^ M. de Bien-
vHIe, and the Marquis de Vaudreuil, &c. well de-
fcrves that lihould tell his ftory to you, having"
heard it from himfelf with all its cit-cum*
ftances. f£/1

1 fliall give you an account of what has hap-
pened during the forty-five years which hefcrved-
the kiog in this colony *. I Ihall fay nothing but

truth.

* The hiftory of M. de BeUe.,IJI«, Chevalier of the royal
military o«der of St. Louis, Major of Neixj Orleans^ and who
has formerly fervcd as Major General of the troops of tjie
marine in Louijiana, has been inferted in a Relation of Laui-
fiana printed at Paris in 1758. The author of it left the co-
lony in 1733, has forgotten the moil intereftingcircumftances,
and the fafts he has mentioned, have been difowned by M.

^ ml iss'

3^4 TRAVELS Tiitot^tH

truth, though fome circumftances mHyzpntif
very wondrous. v

< ■
As I know the goodnefs of your heart, I am
fure you will pity the unhappy fate of this poor
officer ; great fouls are not aihamed to fhew that
they are touched by the misfortunes of others r
even the Indians fay, that he who is not fenfiblc
to the fufferings of his brothers, is unworthy of
bearing the name of a man, and that he ought
t© .be_ avoided as the. pqft of fociety. .

-,^

? #t

In;- 1719, M. deCrozat put Louiftana into the
hands of the Well India company, who fent
a thoufand men to people it. M. deBelk^IJle em-
barked in one of their fhips at port 'Orient^
with fome other officers and volunteers, for the
new colony. The winds and currents carried
the fhip to the bay of St. Bernard in the Mex-
ican gulph The captain fent his boat on
fhore in order to fetch water. M. de Belle-IJle
and four of his companions went into the boat
with the captains conlent. Whilft the boat re-
turned to the fhip, the officers v/ent a hunting i
the boat came on fhore again, and having takeri

de Belli-IJle himfelf : my wlation is ?n abilraa of a maniK
fcript memoir, written by that ofTicer's own hand*

L O U I SI AN

A. 33$

m-1tRfe itcceflary provifion of frelh water, rci*
turned on board without the young officers, who
t^ere not yet returned.

The captain is impatient, weighs anchor and
fets fail,: leaving the five paffengers on flior#J
Their agitation and anxiety, when they re-
turned to the fhore and found the boat and Ihip
gone* may well be imagined. Thus being aban-
doned in an unknown country," they erred for a*
long time upon the dcfart coaft, having the fcjt
on one fide, and a country inhabited by a nation
of cannibals oh the other. Thty did not vcn^
mm to quit the marfhy fhores of the (ca ; thef
were in fuch defpair of finding a remedy for
their misfortunes that they knew not what to
do : this alone WiS capable tb make them lofe
their fenfes } and then the thought of falling
into the hands of cannibals, troubled the ima-
gination of thefe young Europeans. They went
along the fhore in the miflaken opinion, that the
Ihip was gone to the weft, imploring divine
mercy, and complainings of their unhappy fate.
They lived upon infers and herbs, not knowing
Whether they were good or bad j what was moffc
troublefome to them was the abundance of gnats
in that place, as they had nothing to defend
themfelves againft them. They continued fe^

veral

33^ TRAVELS TWRaocw

vcral days \^ this fituation. lyi. de BdU'Iflt had
taJ^en a young dog from the fhip, which waa^
very fond of him. His companions were qftea
tempted to kill him •, their hunger was ex-
treme : M. de Bdle-IJle gave the dog up to them,
but would not kill it himfelf ; one of his comf^
panions fcized the dog j but he was fo weak,
tijiat as he was going to ftrik,e wi^h the kijifc*
the dog efcap^d, ran into the woods, , and was
not feen again. The four unhappy officers died
with hunger one after another,, in fight of M,
de. BeUe-Ifle^ M;ho,,did ail hfJ^qiiW to dig them
gravef in t^ eadfth, or rather in the, fand, witlk
ius own, hands, to prefe^f»e th«iif. fed remainsi
from the voracioufnefs of );^il4 Jse^fts : he paid
this tribute to 4iuBfia{i naturp in fighing over its
mifcries, nothing but the f^roogth of his confti-
tution could make him furvive. them. He was^^
refolute enough,, in order te^ C'ibllfti, to eat the.
worms which he found in rotten woodv Some
days after the death of his comrades, he faw at
a diftance his dog holding fomething in hi«
mouth; he called hira, the creature came tor
him fawning, and with great demonltrations of
joy, threw at his feet an Gpojfum % the dog
hdwled, as if he would fay, I bring thee fome-
thing to fupport life. The opoflliras are good

eating, and of the fize of a fucking pig.

h tj 1 S 1 A N A. 337

df Btlk^ifiey having no other company than hU
dpg, looked about for food every where. At
night he always made a little intrenchment at
the foot of a tr«e, in order to Ihelter himfclf
againft th^ wild beafts. One day a tyger *
ca<me near the place, where he flept j his dog
watched by his fide, he faw the tyger, an^ r^n
at it with a prodigious howl* M. de BtUt-Jfk
awoke, and haftened to his affiftance $ the tyger
l^t the dog Ipofe, but had wounded him : hii^
mafter was otjliged to kill him, left he Ihould
turn road, and afterwards he eat him. JUei?
being left alone in this defart pUce, he fell 90
his knees, lifted up his hands to heaven, -wi4
thanked the Almighty for preferving him ti)|
npw,4 Rjmd refigning hittJl'elf to Providence kf
went into the country in order to feek for men,
He foon ^und foot-Heps, ;nnd folbwed thc<j|^
to the banks of a river, where iinding a pragufi,
he croiles the river in it. On the oppofite jfhorf
were fome Indians, drying human ilcfh and filh^
they were of the nation of the Att^uhapas f -,
Vol. I. Z they

* By Uiis mwSi always be underftood the American tyg«v
I. e. the broim cat of P. Sywpjis of i^cui, p. 179, an^ .tK«
Cti^:tcuara of i>ijo and Mztgi^fve in their Nat. Hift. ^rt^L

t This name fignlfies men-caters among the Amtricah na-

.;, tiong.

338 TRAVELS through

they went towards M. de Belk-TJle, whom they
took for a ghofl, becaufe he was lean j he
pointed to his mouth, and made figns of being
hungry. The Indians would not kill him be-
caufe he was excefTively lean j they offered him
fome human fleflj, but he preferred fifli, of
which he eat greedily. The Indians looked at
this cloathed man, ftripped him naked and di-
vided his cloaths among themfelves ; they then
carried him to their village in order to fatten
him. There he had the good fortune to become
the dog * of an old widow. He recovered his
flrength gradually •, but was extremely fad,
conftahtly apprehending, that his hofts would
facriiice him to their falfe deities, and afterwards
make a feaft of his' flcfli ; his imagination was
always ftruck with the terrible fight of the feafts
which thofe barbarians made of the flelh of their
%teft prifoners of war, which I cannot help
Ihuddering at, whilft I relate it. He always ex-
pefted to receive a blow with the club, as foon
as he Ihould be fat. The Indians held a coun-

lions. When they take an enemy in the wars, they make a
^reat feaft. and eat his flelh. They commonly live upon fiih
and drink the CaJJint. They can fpcak by rigns, and hold
long pantomime convex rations.

''' An exprcilioji which fignifies/^^'^.

L O U I S I AN A. 339

cil, in which they refolVed that it would be
fiiameful and cowardly to kill a man, that did
not come to them to do. any harm, but to de-
mand their holpitality i* in confequence of this
refolutiort, he remained a flave of the widow.
The firft days of his flavery, though it was not
a heavy onej were very difagreeable to himj. be-
caufe he was obliged to take care of the little
childten of thefe men-eaters, and tp carry them
on his fhoulders, which was very troublefome to
•tlfn*'*,: for he was naked like them, having 10
more deaths than were fufHcicnt tq make his
nakednefs Icfs indecent ^ but the widow above-
niertttorled, having taken him unucr her ptotee-
fltert, he was better treated in the fcqueL :

iis M. de bdl'lfli wasiyouhe: and ftrohgv jie
atquitted himfelf very well of his funftions as
a flave, and even gain«fi tue good graces of his
miftrefs fo much, that (he adopted him^ and f>e
was then fet at liberty, and looked upon as one
belonging to the nation. He foon learnt the
manner of conv-rfing in pantonlimd'Si arid the
art of ufing the bow and arrows as well as they
tould do it* They took him into the Wars,
v/herc he fhewed them his dexterity, by killing
one of their enemies with an arrow in their pre-
fence, he was then acknowledged a true warrior.

Z 2 An-

♦j'

• 340 TRAVELS through

"Another Indian having killed a roebuck, they drif
cd the flelh of the man and the roe, to nnake ufp
of it as provifions on their expeditions. One day
as th^y were walking, M. de Bdle-ljle being hun-
gry, idved for fomething to cat. An Indian
gave him fome human flefii, faying it was of thfc
roe-buck. M. dt Selk-IJIe eat of it -without
knowing the cheat J and the Indian afterwards
faid to him : Formerly thou iidft make dijjicwJ)\
'But now thou canft eat man^s jieJJi as well as our-
fclves : at thcfe words M. de Belle-lfie threw up
all he hau eaten. .

' About two years aficr his captivity, fome do-
puties ql'rriycd at the Attaknpas^ from a nation
who fent them the calumet of peace. A kind
providential care i TWs nation lived in New
Mexiio^ and were the neighbours of the Natchi-
toches, where M. de Huckercs de Saint Denis com-
manded, wlu) was beloved and refpedted by the
deputies of this nation, though they lived on
Spanifti ground. After attentively confRJering
M. de Belle-IJley they told die Attaknpax, that, in
the country from whence they came, there were
white men lik" him : the Attc ':apas faid he was
•a <%♦ whom they had found towards tlie great

'lake, where his comrades were ilarved to death i
that they had brought him to their habitations,

•• . . \vlu*:r

L O U I S I A N A.

341

. where a woman had made him her flave j that
they had taken him to war againft a nation
•which they conquered in a battle, and that he
had diftinguilhed himfelfon that occafion, and
lihewcd them his (kill in fending an arrow, which
killed one of their advei-raries \ that they had
for that reafon adopted him, and received him
as a warrior.

This officer, who heard their convcrfation,
did as if he took no notice of it i and immedi-
ately conceived the idea of returning to his
country : he took one of the Indian deputies a-
part i and quellioned him much about the white
men he had fcen, M. d£ Belle-IJle had luckily
prcferved his commifllon in a box-, he made
fomc ink with foot, and wrote with a crow-quill
the following words : " to the jirft chief ej the
" white men. I am fuch and fuch-a perfon, aban-
" doned at the bay ot St, Bernard ; my comrades
" died of hunger and wrctchednefs before my
" face, and 1 am captive at che Jttakapas.'*
This unhappy officer gave his co .niffion to the
Indian, telling him it was fomc fpeaking paper ;
that, by prefenting it to the chief of the French in
his country, he would be well received. J he
Indian believed, that this letter had fomething
divine in it, becaufc it was to fpeak for him to

Z 3 the

HI T R A V E L'S' through

the French. His countrymen wanted to takfc it
from, him ; bu: he efcaped by fwimming acrofs
a river i and left he fhould wet the letter, he
held it up in the air. This hniiatt, after a jour-
ney of one hundred and fifty leagues, arrived
at the Natchitoches *, an Indian nation. The
French commander there at that time being M.
Huchei'os de St. Denis, an olHcer of diftinaion,
known for having made the firft journey over
land from Louijiana to Mexico, where he married
the Spanifli governor's niece. The Indian gave
him M.He Belle-TJle\ letter, and M. de Si. Denis
received him very well, and made him ma:;y
prefents j after which, this officer began to ccy
after the manner of the Indians, who afkcd whar
ailed him ? He anfwered, he wept for his bro
ther who was a captive among the Jttakapas.
As M. de Saint De s was in great cfteem with
the nati-^ns about him, the Indian who brought
the letter promifed to fetch M. de Belle-IJle, and
fome other Indians joined him.

M. dc Saint Denis gave them fome fliirts and a
hat for M. de Bc'le-ljle, and they fct out imme^
diatcly, ten in number, on horleback, and arm-
ed

* A Aation near MrxUo The re is a ft itlemetit of Itidianj
on tl\c Rivicn Rpu^i^r, or Pe,i.n'vn\

LOUISIANA. 343

cd with guns •, promifing to M. de Saint Denis to
return in two moons time with his brother upon a
horfe, whicli tlicy led with them.

On arriving at the Aitakapas, they difcharged
their Hre-arms fcveral times, the cxplofion of
which the other Indians took to be thunder:
they gave M. de Belle IJle the letter of M. de Saint
Denisy which mentioned, that he had nothing to
fear with thofe Indians, and that he rejoiced be-
forehand that he fhould fee him. The joy which
this letter gave to the Officer is inexprcfTible ;
however he feared that the Attakapas .;ould op-
pofc his departure. But the chief of the depu-
tation made him get quickly on horfeback, and
went off with his whole troop. The Attakapas
being frightened with the report of the nuifkets,
did not venture to fay any thing, and the woman
who had adopted M. df; BelU-JJle Hied tears.
Thus this oHiccr efcaped from a captivity, which
might otherwilc have laded as long as his life.

I'he Indian who carried off M. de Belle- IJle was
as proud as Hernando Cortex when he conquered
Montezuma^ the laft etnperor of Mexico. They
arrived at the NatchiloiheSy but did rot find M.
de Saint Denis there •, for he was gonv. ^-j Biloxis,

Z 4 which

^44 t R A t EL S rkko^jGH

which was then the chief ^Uk gf Laur/taha,
New Orlcam being hot yet built;

M. d'Orvil/hrfy who commanded at the Nat^
chitoches in M. Saini X>etiis\ abfcncB, fent M. de
Bellt'Tfle and hii elcort to M. de Bienvilk, then
governor of Loui/tana. That general embfaced
him, being happy to fee him, and liberally re^
warded his deliverers. Every one compliment-
ed him on his efcape fmm this captivity j M. de
Bienville gave him a fuit of cloadis.

This officer has fmcc been very ufeful to th«i
governor, by his knowledge of the cuftpm^i of
the Atiakapas, whom the Spaniards of Ne^ Me^
uico could never fubdue, as they have done with
the other nations of theit- empire.

M. de Bienvilk fent a prefent to the JttakapaSy
And another to the widow who had adopted and
prot<*aed M. de Belk-IJk.

I'hcfe people, who did not cxpeft this genero-
fity from the governor, fent ambafladors '• to liini
to thank him, and to make an alliance with the

French,

• The chief of the embafly addreril-d the following fpeech
to M. de Bieifvillt, which M. dc '?r//^-(^f intc-rprcted; •« My

"father.

LOUISIANA.

345

French, M. de Belk-TJle's miftrefs attended in
perfon •, fince this period the French have always
been humanely treated by the Attakapas^ who
have at their defire left off the barbarous cuftom
of eating human flefh.

When the Attakapas came to New Orleans y
they were well received by all the French, in
gratitude of the reception M. de Belle-IJle had met
with among them ; for without them, he would
have undergone the unhappy fate of his compa-
nions.

M. de Bienville fometimes procured himfelf the
diverfion of a pantomime with thefe cannibals,
by means of M. de Belle-IJle, who, as their pu-
pil, converfed with them by geftufes. The Af-
takapas are armed with bows and very great ar-
rows i they cultivate maize, as the other North

. American

•• father, the white man, whom thou feeft here, is thy flc/h
" and blood, Jie was united to us by adoption. His brothers
«' were ilarved to death, if my nation liad found them fooncr,
" they would live i\x\\ and ciijoy the fame prerogative."

The hofpltality (hewn to M, de BtUeip by the Aitaiofns^
convinced us, that we niuft regard their cruelty only as a
fault of education, and that nature aas planted fejuinHuis of
humanity in their breaft.

546 TRAVELS through

American nations do. This part of the world is
of fuch an extent, that it has not yet been pol"-
fibk to become acquainted with all the nations
ir it, nor with its limits.

In 1759, M. de Marigni de Mandeville*, an
officer of diftindlion, formed the defign, with
the confent of the governor of Louifjana^ of ma-
king new dilcoveries towards the ifie of Barata-
ria, of which we know the coafts but very im-
perfectly : with this intent he made a general
map of the colony. This officer has difcovered
this unknown country at his own cxpcnce, with
indefatigable zeal, which charadlerizes a worthy
citi.Len, who is always occupied for the glory of
his prince, and the enlargement of his poflcf-
fions.

I have endeavoured, in my preceding letters,
to give you an abridgment of the hiftory of the
country, from the time of its difcovery till now,
and an idea of the fituation of its commerce, and
likewife of every thing that feemed inftrudive
and amufing to me. I do not believe I have
omitted any thing material, I fliall now finifh

our

' See ihe Memoirs of this officer, printed at Paris, Ijy
GuiUaume Dc/prht in the rue $. jftcques 1765.

LOUISIANA.

347

our correfpondence by fome obfervations on the
natural hiftory of this colorty, of which you
could learn nothing from the fpecial relations
that are publifhed. You muft know then. Sir,
that all the fruit-trees which have been tranf-
ported thither from Europe fucceed very well
there. M. Fazende, one of the fuperior council
of Louiftanay has brought a fig-tree from Pro-
vence, the figs of which are excellent; as this
tree is propagated by layers, it richly fupplies
all the habitations with them. Among the fruit
peculiar to this country, there is one called a
jattledoe, it has the figure and taftc of a pickled
cucumber. This fruit is very common about
Mobile^ and it is very refrediing.

Thepicikmine is a kind of medlar, called ou-
goufte by the Indians ; this fruit, which is no
bigger than the European medlar, is yellow and
red like an apricot -, it is a very good aftringenr,
and an excellent remedy to flop the dyfentery
and bloody flux. The Indians make bread of
it, in the form of ginger-bread, and dry it for
their long voyages *.

The

■'* The piakminc has yet another virtue; take a quantity of
its fecd5, pound them, then infufe freJh water upon them,

which

48 t R A V E L S THROUGH

The Jafmm fruit has the form and colour of
a lemon •, it ia odoriferous, and taftes like Banian
figs 1 it feedis refemblc beans ; they are a poifon
fohogsj.

Here are a number of orange and peach trees;
and both the oranges and peaches are fo com-
mon in this colony, that they are left under the
trees to rot.

There arc apple-trees and plum-trees ; and
whole forcfts of walnut-trees ; of which there is
a white kind o: the hiccory^ and another black •,
both kinds bear nuts •, they are as in Europe of
different goodnefs for eating •, there are likewife
fome walnuts as big as the fill, but they are bit-
ter, having very thick and hard fhells. There
is a tree which bears a fruit called pacannes •, they

arc oblong like almonds, and more delicious :

the

;■♦'

■

which muft (land upon them twenty-four hours : ftrain the
water through a cloth and keep it in a bottle. When you arc
attacked with the gravel, drink a glafs full of the infufion
falliag, and continue to do it till you are cured f .

+ This is perhaps the |)erfimon, dioffyros Virginiana
Linn. F.

\ This plant feems to be one of the various kinds of anonat
which grow over all the warmer parts of liorth- America. F.

L O U I S I AN A. 349

the Indians make an oil of it, to feafon their /9«
gamfty with.

■/ii/»¥^-

It is a circumftance worthy of admiration, to
fee the providence of the Creator, who has
planted fuch a number of fruit-trees of various
kinds in this part of the new world There are
thoufands of curious animals, known before nei-r
ther by their Ihape nor by their name, and of
which men of the preceding ages have not even
had an idea.

There are red and Jikcwife white bays ; the lat**
ter bears a white flower like a tulip \ it is an ex^
ceeding bulhy tree, and would be an ornament
to the gardens of European monarchs : the In-
dians call it the tree of peace *.

Near the banks of rivers there are vines,
which climb fo high along the trees, that when
the grapes are taken off, they can often mak^ a
whole barrel full of wine from a fingle (lock.
Thefe vines' grow without cultivation, and
the wine that is made of them is very

harfh

* This Is probably either the tuUptref, Uriodtndron tullpi-
ftva, Linn, or the hursts trjii'velis. Linn. F. ■

•'4,*"

350 TRAVELS TttRotrcH

harlh*. There are, many mulberry-trees -j- in
the woods, and their berries are very-fweet j there
are likewife feme that always keep the figure
of Ihrubs, and their berries are made ufe ot for
jellies.

- There is a tree in the woods full of fpincs oif
^ix inches in length •, its wood is fo hard, that
it makes the edge of the hatchets blunt, and
fometimes breaks them. The Indians, " by-
means of fire, make mortars of it to crufh their
maize in. This tree bears pods about a foot
long like caffia •, the fruit they contain is gum-
my and (licking, having feveral feeds like beans.
It is an excellent laxative, and the Indians take
it as a purges '

There are refinous trees (fuch as pines, &c.)
in the woods, ' which produce refin and tar j
there are likewife many trees, from which a kind
of gum like turpentine runs down.

^ ■ ' . There

* The American forefts have three kinds of vines ; the
'vitis lahru/cay vulpina, and arborea, Linn. And this, here
menticncd, feems to be the lalh F.

f The morus rubra Linn, is the mulbtny-trce, known ro
grow in Ncrth America. Y.

L O U I S I A N A.

351

There is a Ihrub which we call drier, or the
wax-tree, and it refembles an olive-tree. It
bears little berries like juniper, they are melted
in water *, and give a kind of wax for candles ;
this wax is of a fine green, and has an aromatic
fmell. The Sieur Alexandre, a furgeon and che^
mift, is the firft that difcovered it here. The
academy of fciences gave him a penfion for this
difcovery. He has likewife found the method
of bleaching it, as we do bees wax in Europe.

Whilft I was in Louiftana, the inhabitants got
from St. Domingo plants of fugar-canes, in order
to make plantations of them. M. Dubreuil, who
commands the militia of citizens, was the firft
planter that built a fugar-mill at New Orleans. >

..? tiiiK

Ji.

"r^oi; t iifi

It is known, that fugar is made of the juice
of a reed or cane, which is propagated by lay4
crs ; it grows tall and thick, in proportion to the
goodnefs of the foil. The canes have joints^ at
certain diftances •, when thcfe are ripe, which^is
eafily known by the yellow hue which they get,
they are cut above the firft joint, which has no
juice i the leaves on both fides are plucked off;

the

* Boiling water. The tree is the candleberry myrtle.
mjrka cerifcra. Linn. F.

35»r TRAVELS throuoii

the c^ncs are made up into bundlcf^t and brought
to the nvill, whcfc they are crulhed between tro
"vfooden cylimiers, covered with fteel. A negro
puts the canes between the cylinders, which
prels all the juice out, which is received jn a
great hollow, from whence it goes through a
leaden pipe into a refervoir, which leads it into
the fJaee where the oven9 are, whLu are defti-
ned to boil it in great boikrs. When the juice
is refined, it is poured into another boiler ; it ,
muft be continually ftirrcd, and boiled till it has
9 proper confiftency j ««d when the fugar is got
to the firft ftate of perfcdtion, it is put into
form^ of carihen ware, in order to be refined ;
it acquices the libcond degree of perfection by the
opeoing being covered with . clay to prevent the
air from acting upon the fugar, and that it may
not harden too much before it lis refined by the
ieparatioo of fyrups «nd melafles.

H< It is with t^j fci*m of fugar that they make
ttii^a or Hiil-deviJ. This liquor is prepared as
brandy is m France ; and goes tlifOugK the ftill.
The Europeans in America prefer it to brandy for
curing of wounds. They likcwife make rum
with it.

LOUISIANA.

353

In the country of the Illims there is a little
llirub, about three feet high^ which bears a
fruit of tht fize of a fmall apple, and of thq
tafte of citrons. The woods there likewifc con*
tain chefnutsj and hazel-nuts of the fame kind
as in France.

Louiftiim abounds with good Hmples ; among
them is the ^infeng, the root cf which is an
excellent reftorative, jalaps rhuhr^, fnake^
root^ farfaparUla, and St. John's wori"^^ of
which they make an excellent oil for healing
of wounds. The following is the Indian doc-
tor's method of making the oil. They take an
erfrjthcn pot, and put the lowers of St. John's
wort in it, and fome beard oil above it j the
pot or vafe is Well Hopped up^ and cxpofed to

VoLv I. A a tli^

* Ginfeng is th* plant. fo murh in requeft in Ghina; it is
Panax qitin^uefoliumy Linn. See Olbeck's Voy. to Ghina,
vol. i. p. 222. andKalm's Travels into NortK America, vol.
ill. p. 1 14. and Calefby's Nat. Hift.df Carolina, apji. t. t6.
^--^Jvehp is the MirabiUs of Linntcus, there are feveral fpe-
ti« o! xi,''--^Rhubarb is the Rheum Linn, but probably not

the true one. Snake-root^ perhaps the Polygala Senega,

Linn, ot elk an Jri/hUc/tia. Sarfaparilla, Smilax far/a'

parilla, Linn. St. John's wort, Hypericum, Linn. ther«

are many plants of this genus in North America ; and it is
among the defiJerata of the bdtanill to know what fpeci^s arc
employed for medicinal ufes. F.

354 TRAVELS iH'kayoH

the morning fun ; the heat concentrated in the
vafc turns the oil bf a red colour, and gives it
an agreeable fmell, which cures and purifies all
kinds of wounds. There ure even plants which
have the virtue of ferving as counter- poifons ^
but it is a rare and precious gift to man to know
them, and to know how to make a proper ufe
of them i, the Creator has not granted this know-
ledge to all men. There are numerous fimples
proper for cleanfing the mals of blood, and of
which th*^ Indians have a peculiar knowledge^

There are fbrefts of fajfafras t/ees *, the wood
of which is ufed in phyfic, and for dying •, there
is likewife the copal tree •!•, whofe gum is an ex-
cellent balfam, equal in goodncfs to the balfam
of Peru i the animals which are wounded by
hunters, cure themfelves by rubbing againft the
tree frc.. which this ballam exfudes, which
has an aromatic fmell. The Indians have ia
their huts bitter gourds and calabaflies^ of which
latter rhey make a pedoral fyrup ; maiden-hair^
which is a good pe<5toral medicine, and the raf-

fmffy

* Safiafras-tree grows all over North America, it is Lan*
rut/a/Tafras, Linn.

+ Ctpal tree grows only in the fouthem part of North
America, Rhus c pallinumt Linn.

t O U I S I A N A. is^

M^i- which 15 9 good diyreti? *. Wh^ the
^ok is ftroHjg, it excites a kind of cpnvuifions j
whjehj however, ccafe immediately. The 4111-
-hmon Indians call it the liquor bf vakur. Th^
natives of America value their fimples mpre than
all the gold of Mexico and Peru.

You find feveral fprts of curious ?iuimals in
Louiftdna, which are unknown in Europe.

The wild ox is very large and ftroqg •, the
French and the Indians make various Mfes of it j
they cat its flefli, which they i'alt or 4ry j they
make coverings of its hide. The wild bwU is
covered with a very fine wool, with which they
^make^ood matraflesj of its tallow they make
cajidles, and its pizzles afford cords to the In-
dian bows. The Indians work its horns, and
make them into micotum or fpootis, and ijnt(>
powder-horns.

A a a The

■**■

♦ Bitter gourds, Celeq»intis, Cucumit cotocynthis, Linn.—
Calabaflies, Cucuriita Ugenariet Linn. —Maiden-hair, JJi-
MHtum ptdatum, Linn, grovvi aJl over ^ort/. Americi, from
Canada down to Virginia, a»:d is much eftettncd as a mc4i.
cinal herb. See Kalm'% Trav. to North Amcr. vol. iii. p.
iij.— Cafline i$ the Prinot g^itr» Linn, mentioned in
Letter XVL p. 249. F.

356 TRAVELS throxtoh

The wild ox has a bunch or hump on its
back * like a camel. It has long hair on the
head like a goat, and wool on its body like
fheep, which the Indian women fpin into
threads.

On going towards the head of the river Mf-
fouris, you find all forts of wild ^eafts. The
wild goats and their young ones are very com^
mon at certain feafons-f-. Thefe animals are
very lively and pretty -, the females have double
furrows or ringlets to their horns, and are not fb
big as ours : the French that eat of them have
aflured me, that the young venifon was as good

• The hump is fituated on the flioulders. The animal has
been defcribed by Linmeus under the name of Bos bifon, and
draw n by Catejhy in his Nat. Hift. of Carolina, app. t. zo,
and in Mr. Pennant* s Synopjis ofi^adrtipedsy p. 8. t. II f. 2. F.

+ This animal fccms to be of the antelope kind, perhaps
the Temamaftvna of Hernandez, an animal which hitherto has
not been noticed by c-ir zoologilb. It Teems not to be an
animal belonging to the goat kind, on account of the doutii«
jringlets or comichons mentioned by the author. This woul«t
be perhaps a new animal ; and however it be, it v HI defcrvi
the attontion of our natural hlftorians- And as thi Onglifli
dominions now extend to the river ^ifiifippv, it w^ ,< S cer-
tainly be worth while todefcribc thcammals. upon <* / vcr,
and t].ofc that fall into it. ?'\

LOUISIANA.

357

as the b«ft mutton. As the Indians of thefe parts
do not life our muflcets, they kill then, with, ar-
rows J for thefe animals feed in the mountains,
and -when they are wounded they cannot climb
fo eafily, and by that means the Indians catch
them.

The hunters have likewife told me, : that they
had found a large kind of eagle in the woes j,
of the fpecies called the royal eagle *.

I think it my duty to mention to you the fin^
gular manner in which die Indians hunt and lake
thefe birds, which the northern nations efteem
very much, becaule they adorn their calumets
of peace with eagle's feathers, which they call
feathers of valour.

This kind of hunting is rcferved for the di-
verfion of old warriors, as it requires no cxercife.
The old man who intei.ds tc take eagles, firft of
all exammes the places which ar" moft frequent-
ed by them ; arter tiiat, he brings flefli, the en-
trails of anirnah or dead Inakca to Luofe fpots,
and faftens thefe baits to fome (vied wood. The

A f. :i firlt

* The royal rrole is the Falco Cf,.jjaiftos, Linn, or ^^Men ea-
jg;lt, Pcnn. Br. Zool. fol 6i. tab. A. & in 8vo vol. i. p.iai. F.

■^P^i'

558 Travels xnitoudH

(it& eagl<s that comes thefe eats of it) gr6ws far
ffiiUat ivith the place, an,£i actrajfts others of his
fptdm thichcr, that greedily difputc thq prey
Ivlth eftch Other. Then the old man digs a kind
tf trichi df hollOMT at the top of the hjll ; he
makes a chimney or vent to it which he ftops
up with a bundle of fagots, on which he places
xW baits : he fuffers the bird to eat its fill ^ then
<hb pvrcs his hands> which he has wrapt in a.ljctle
fack of leathei- thhnigh fome ilraw wrtd^i^ the
faggots ; takes hold of the eagle's legs, pulls it
x*6Wii) wwips it \% hxi px-hidc, and fo kills it.
Jf he is lutky «tio«gli td take five or fist of them,
he is tofttent, becaufe the feathers are an article
«if trAd* throlighout Nmh-jlmerida. This way
<6f huriiting is not very troublefomc : the bait^
are taken together by the old man's children,
and ♦' 'vomen fend him viduals.

It o^. .kewilfe fee hareii* and whice bears whole
fkttt is ^ery fine and foft.f The %w/ of Loui li-
ana diflfcr from thofc of Africa and South Ame-

fica,

-^*-*^^— '— — ■-^^-' — ' — ■ — ' — ' — '-^ — ^- -- I , -

• The Attwrican hares are ahtady declared by Pnf. Kalm,
sfA. p. 105. to differ from the E'Xiropcan ones ; (o that is iny
proper to think the American ones to be the tame F.

t Thf while bl-ar here mentioned, cannot be th" g«at P.c

i0r

Li- O U I S r A N A. 359

lica, becaufe they have no fpots. J They take
thii roe-deer as cats do miqe. As to the tyger',
€ats.% they kill the wild oxen in the following
manner. They get upon a tree, in a little path
where the oxen arc ufcd to go to the river ; and
as they come by, the tyger-cats fall upon the
necks of the oxen, bite through their throats and

Aa 4 kill

iar bear^ Penn. Synn. Quad. p. 192. to 20. f. i. a? this lat-
ter is only to be met with in the moft frigid parts of our
globe ; and the foft hair here mentioned will not admit to
think of the polar bear, whofe hair is like briftles. The com-
mon black bear is fometimes found quite white in Siberia,
and therefore it is not iniprobable that fome of thefc white
bears are found in the interior parts of North America. Befides
this, I find it neceiTary, here tp obfcrve, that the black Fif
^inia bear fcems to me to be a fpecies different from our Eu-
ropean bears, my reafons for this opinion are thefe : /r/?,
the European bear has never fo black a coat as the Virginian,
J'econdlyy the fnout of the Virginian is longer, and the head
fmaller than in gur Eurppean 9nes ; thirdly ^ the European
bear is more clumfy than the Virginian. F.

J The North American tyger is the Cugufteara of Marg-
grave, or the broiun Cat. Penn. 2yn. quad. p. 179. In
South America it is immenfely fierce on a^c^unt of the hsa^f
of the climate, and miftakenly called a lion. F.

§ The American tygcr-cat is the pichou du/ud mentioned in
Kalm'sTravrlsy'veJ. 3> p. 275, and Penn. Syn. quad. Cayen'
91 Cat. p> 1S2.

3/^0 TRAVELS through

kill them-, their ftrcngth and their horns are
rendered ufelefs by this treachery.

Th.e WQod-rat of Iiidian-^af is of the Tizf of aq
European cat j its head is like the head of a fox,
it has feet like a monkey, and the tail of a rat.*
This animal is very curious ; I once killed a fe-
male that had feven youn^ oner> ; what is moft
furprifing is to fee them all ftick fad to the teats,
where they grow, and continue till they are able
to run about j then they drop into a membrane
that forms a pouch : thofe young ones which I
faw vvere as big as new-born mice •, nature has
/urni/hed the female with this pouch under the
belly, which is covered with hair, as a retreat for
her young ones, when they are purfued, by
;tneans of which the mother can fave them and
carry them off*. Their fleHi taftcs like that of a
fucking pig; their hair is whitifh, and they have
likewife a down or wool like the beaver. This
pretended rat, lives in the woods upon the feeds
of beech-trees, upon chefnuts, walnuts, and
acorps. I have pftep eaten of them op my
voyages : their fat is very white and fine ; a fine
pomatum or unguent is made of it for the He-
morrhoius.

Here

• This is the Virginian Opcfum. Penn. Syn. quad. p.
S04. and Didtlfhis marJUfiuliu Linn.

• ■ 1

L O iJ^l S I W*f-A, 36X

Here is likewife an animal, Whi6h they call the
wood-cat^, it is of the fize- of a fox, and nothing
hut its tail is like that of a cat. This creature
is very fond of oyfters j it refembles a marmot
in its figur<^i- '^iid may be tamed like a dog,
licking and fawning upon its m after, whom it
follows every where; it takes its food with its
paws, like a monkey. I believe thefe were the
//«w^ dogs which the Spaniards found, when they
difeovered the Antilles or Garibee illands.*

There are four forts of fqulrrcls in Louifiana;
large, black, red, grey, and little ones of the
fize of little rats ; the latter are called flying
fquirrels,'Bn account of a membrane which join's
tiieir four legs, and which they extend in jump*
ing from one tree to another.f •

The French and the Indians have often told mc
that the fnakes h^ye the pow^ pf fafcinating

fquir-

<** This animal her? called nvood-cat is common all over the
Briiifli colonies in America, and known by the name of Rac-
tpon, fee Penn Syn. quad, p. ^99. 'Ur/us lu/cus. Lmn. and
Kalra's Travels into North America, vot i. t. 2. p. 56,
208. F.

f Black fquirrel, fdurus niger.hmr ,-.>red fquirrely?r'r«j
ftriaiut, Linn.- grey fquirrel, Jciurus cinercus. Linn.— flyiitg
fquirrel, fciurm 'volans. Linn. F.

'Jl

^6z TRAVELS ^hrpuch

fquirrels •, this I wilhed to fee with my own eyes.
I cannot avoid communicating my obfervationy
on this fubject to you. I was once hi^nting at
the J/limij, in a wood which alxjunded v^ith
hazelnuts, which is a very nice food for fquirrel?;
they were likcwife very plentiful there i I heard
upon a tree, under which I flood, the fcd Ct-y of
a fquirrcl which fcemcd frightened i I did not
Icnavy what ailed it •, at laft I perceiyecj a fnake
hung over a branch of the tree, looking upwards,
waiting for its prey ; and the unhappy fquirrel,
jifcer leaping from branch to branch, fell into the
mouth of the fnake, which fwallowed it.

Without entering into a phyfical derail, I ima-
gine the fquirrel was fafcinated by the fnake in
the following manner. The antipathy of the
fquirrel, makes it look upon the fnake as fattened
to the tree, when it fees it thus immoveable, and
hung upon a branch; therefore inftead of re-
marking that it is only a fnare, laid by its adver-
fary, it jumps from branch to branch, as it were
to infuJt the fnake j when by jumping round the
reptile, the latter fees it near enough to dart up-
on, feize and fwallow it.-f Many authors

pretend

t f^is is a veiry ingenious explication, but it fuppofes,
fh^ yve <^j>^ attribi^te to the ic^uurej nicer feelings, tL»n ani-

nuh

I. O U I S I A N A. 363

pretend that the fnakes have an attraftive
power.

The cunnnig of fnakes is admirable ; I have
fetn fome. which perceiving that I looked at
them, did not ftir at all, in order to make mc
believe they were not there, and always conti.
nued m the fame attitude ; but as foon as I went
afide to get a ftick or ftone to crulh their heads,
the fnakes made off and I did not find them
again when I returned. This is an experiment
I have often made in the defarts which I have
gone through, and where tliefe anjmals are
common,

There are many forts of them, of which the
moil remarkable is the raitk-faake, having four or
live round bones, at the end of the tail, which
make - ' 'nd of noife by rubbing againft one ano-
ther, i.uiilar to the noife of a child's rattle. The
Indian women pound this rattle and fwallow it
when they are going to lye-in, becaufc they pre-
tend that they can by its affiftance bring forth
without pain. The fat of the rattle-lhake makes

■mtttutt'-. -> m0* ^»*t«f «

ill

mal. in general and fquimis in particular have ; another me.
thod to account for this pretended fafgination, fee in Kalm'e
fravflt 1. p. ^ig. note. F

364 TRAVELS THRotrcH

an excellent unguent for the rheumatic pains j
this unguent penetrates into the body, to the very-
bones.

It is generally believed that the nunraber of
vertebrae in the rattle encreafes with the age of the
fnake •, I have feen fome rattle-fnak.es fo big, ajs
to be able to eat a whole roe-de^r, by fucking if.
little by little.

There is another kind of ferpent, which they
call the whipper, /7«^//^ar i it, is red on the belly
and black on the back •, it is fometimes about
twenty feet long, and when it finds any body In
the water, it twines round him fo violently as to
take away his breath, and drown him.*

'At I'

<t ^ _ :\f*t

That fnal^e which is called the* '.m^(^/'/r''i.s
about two feet long, biit U fo much more dan-
gerous, becauPe it is not fo eafily feen,' being very
little ; fo that the Indians and negroes often tread
upon and are bitten by it: it has a prodigious wide
piouth and when angry, it whiftles at a terrible
• ' ' ■ rate.

* This fnake is reprefentpd by Catejby nat. hiji» of CaroJ^
II. 46. It might be called coluber erythrogafter^ for Catefby
calls it the copper 'bellied-fHake. The circumftance here mc«-
lioned, relative to its twilling round people in the water^
and its enormous fize are both new. f .

LOUISIANA.

365

rate, and therefore the Indians call him ho-huy^
that \%\'whtjiler. During my voyage to '^Tombek-
he, a whiftler hidden under the leaves, bit a fol-^
dicr of my detachment, who trod upon its tail;
the foldier was barefoot, and the fnake was fo
angry that it got hold of his big toe and would
not let go its hold, I was very uneafy and forry
to fee this fc lier expofed to perifh he being my
interpreter; I applied to an Indian dodtor who
accidentally went by the place, where we were.
He lOok a powder out of a little fack, and blew
it through a tube upon the fnake's head, which
died inftantly ; he put another powder upon the
wound, which prevented the poifon from taking
its effed ; he likewife gave fome of it in water
to the patient, who was quite well after. I re*
compenfed this juggler very handfomely ; I wifh-
cd likewife to know his fecret, but he would not
teach it me, and afted like a quack telling me
haughtily that the mafter of life had communi*
cated it to him alone.*

The

"^ It is highly probable that this powder, was of th ,- ;oot
or whole plant of the ariftolochia anguicida a Mexican plant,
which probably grows likewife in Uuifiana, and according
to Dr. jfacquin is an infallible remedy againlt the fnakes, for
thefe animals arc aftually fafcinated and even killed by it. In

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3<56 TRAVEL S xntRoucn

, There a;% very larg^ and long crocodiles or aUiga*
ton in feme parte of the uvtvMiffffif^ *, they lu-e
fo cainivoroiis, chat if tliey £}id a man alkep on
the land, they carry hinz into the waoer and de^-
vour him, though they are eifc very cowardly,
and run off as foon as one walks towards thetn^
it feidom happens that they est a man, brcauie
it is fo eafy to efcape from than ; they purfuc
thofe that fly from them, and are very formi**
dable in the water. The alligator is the nK>fi:
horrid animal in nature and I cannot without
horror ren>cmbcr that which had almoft carried
me into the river of Tomiekke; I thought I faw
the devil juft come out of hell, and I believe he
could not be better repre&nted thain under that
hid<ous:forai} its back is covered with impenara^

ibk

jw i I ... I . ,1 . II I I . . . ■! >i.i. .i ti I I

Carthagena the Indians chew the tct ©ST this Jrifidoeha,
and mix its jaice with the falira ; if one drop of this mix-
ture is put into the fnake's mouth, it inebriates it, and you
may handle the fnakc as you pleafc ; if two or three drops
are forced in ; and they reach the fnake's ftomach, convul-
fions immcdiatly cnfye, and the reptile dies The Indian
who fhewed Di. Jacquin this method, Ukewife informed him
that he had been thrice bit by fnakes, and had always cured
the wound by ufmg the Arijiolechia both internally and ex-
ternally. The plant itfelf has fo iiaufeoas a fmell, that it
is always avoided by fnakes, and caufes, wJ^en chewed,
vomiting even *3 men. See Jaccjuin's Hill. Seleft. Stirp,
American, p. 233. t. 144. F>

L O U I S I A N

A. 3^^

blc fcales, almoft as ftrong ts'oyfter^ells, refriHng
the force of a ball from a muiket. It is difficult
JO hurt an aliigaior any whew c«:cpt in the tye.
They are numerous in the nJ river : they ^
torpid during the cold weather, and lie in the
mud* witli their mouths open, into which the
fifli enter as into a funnel, and can neichferad-
vance nor go back. The Indians then get upon
their backs and kill them by ftrikfng thc4r heads
with hatchets, and this h a kind of di wfio^ for
them.

Here are hkewifc frogs of an extraordinary
fize, whofe croaking exceeds the roaring of a
iJUll. On my voyage from Mobflc to New<)i.
fcans, I touched at the liom lOand and found a
flicH fifh there, which the Indians call NamnatiJL
which means SeaSp^, it was petrified. Itr
outward covtVmg confifted of a more ihinine
yarnifh than the Chinefe ; its eyes were petrified
and hard as diamonds. This fheU fifh is of the

fize

Tim cucamft«.ce of the .legator', being torrid dui.

ing Winter, i, quite new. an4 very remarkable for natural iu*:

tt>nan,. It feems almoft all the clafs of animals called ^^h!.

*« by Dr. i^^,. wh«x found in cold climates, grovv tor-

■pid diwing winter. F. -a ^

368 TRA.VELS TtfRofuori;

fize and iigwre of a barber's bafon turned upfidcS
ii^^WiO* and has a very fharp tail about ten inches
l^ngy^ and thcyriiky.it is dangerous to be (lung

The higher paxis of Loui/ na contain beavers
znd others; the Indians fay that thefe beavers
liaye been expelled by their brethren from Cana^
d&y becaul'e they were too lazy to join with
them in conftrudting the habitations \yhich thofe
animals make in common, and the dikes, to aU
ter the bed of rivers, all which they contrive and
£^^cute with great art and indullry.

The Karancro, a b'rd of prey, is of the fhapt
and fizc of a turkey f, and the moft voracious

bird

• This (hell'-fifti is now in the Marquis de Marigfty's cabi-
net of Natural Curiofitiej.

This rafe aniftial is nothing el(^ than the king's crab,
common in the feas all round Jmericu and the Weft-Indies j
monoculiii Polyphemus. Linn. Thefe animals are employed in
New-York to feed pigs with, and the ingenious gentleman^
who communicated this re-mark, adds, fometim:s it is eateu
«veh by the two legged pigs. F. • ^i.-^

+ Hence It is called Turk^ Buvxard by Gatelby, Carol.
I. t. 6.-— It is the Carrion VuUurey lorllcr'a N. Amcr. Ani-
malSj p. S. and VnUur Aura, Linn.

L: O -U i S!MA N . A; 369

bird that ever was known \ it follows tlic hunters
and like wife the convoys that travel to their dif-
ferent ftations. They wait in flights, like ra-
^ens^' for the decampment j and then they COmc
ai«d' eat greedily all that h^s been left there,
after which they gb On, towards the jiew
cami3L' ! They eat dead corpfesj their fe^
•ther* are black, and the foft downy feathers un-
der the-wingsj have th^^uality of ftoppiiig the

''^^ifT'kc Fhmngo isof theffamt fi^e, the erid of
its wings is- black, the back white, and the
belly flame-coloured *.' ' ,,

"'"■ ' ^,^iU:. i.ytm "'i(;i: fa^m "70

' There are -ftarcs cif two 'kinds ; the leaft oPt
iiOf the fize of the European ones j they arc fo
common that a hundred of them arc often kilted
at one Ihot; they are v«ry ^)od to «a: but the
inhabitants arcf' obliged to guard their Ci^t of
maize and rice, which ouhe^wife would • Ht en-
tirely eaten up by thefe bir^s V they are as bjaak
as jet, and have the tip cfitlje wingof-a ftnt bright
red J -thiif feathers are :veTy. fine,- and the ladies
Vol. I. B b ^car

' II .Jill II n «|| I II I »«lfc.jM^M»n—

• -^ , .

* Flamingo, PharmcoJ)ttrus ruhu.ldx^n^

*-f^^n II I II iiiiat

3)0 T R:A V ELS THKO0&H *
mar iraifiPs^ and :fii»inga Ho their drefts sf

iltftmi^l^i

«-^

Ti 3«rij' £l'(,v*;^.

^aiHes« isee. firrots and porrokectSt ^d fine
jxfs ]n:^eat abimd^tice : in the comury of the
'MffowHs tficrc arc magpies, only different
^om the European ones by their plumage,
-their black an4 white cplpvMrs being Ihaded •,
^^ Indians make «>rBanients for their hair of
them.

The eyes are ttk^ ^'^th the beauty of nature
i^naffifted by actiJbcre (he ajlqpears as &c canic
from tht hands of the Creator, ^07e the fall
of man. The ear pf the traveller is enchanted
'Mlf-^kl/t fongs ^fhsr birds, and «%e«:i4Uly lliofe
cOlthe j»ff/^a^ btrd;9, which apefondi of being
bif^ his.-i^onspany^ and ^m formed ofi purpoie
:*U9 make iiicn fQrg,ctthe fatigues, and tcdiouracfe
t^^ihe j0Ur)aey* iind^^^ loon a$ the mocking
. ^r^:perccive$:a midiw he|)erchcs near him, and
^iftp* .Ycry agreeably, flying/rom place to place ;
: a^dJn a word, this bird is inimitable *, it fettles
4 Jl. the top of »; tree, and mocks or mimics all

;i.5-' ' ' : the

' ' ' -1^ . .. ■ I I .

^ Theft are the nd-mingtdfiarn or maize thieves mentioned
and drawn In Kalm't Travels ^ Vol. Q. p. 74. Orieks pkam-
a*t. Linn.

L O U 1 S ! A N A.

thdnthei' l»#d»i he lik^ifc imitate* ^e mew*
ipg of a cat. The mocking bird fomeiimei
comes to the towns and houfcs, and appears en*
c^ntttd attd pleafed wincn one pla^s oa tnf
inftrument and even joins the concert ^ k is a£
the fizc of a ftare, and of a bluifli grey colours
ti Is iWiflly tamed, ii taken young a*»; ^ e i

itfWht Pcpg is of a bright blue roundthe headi
m the throat it is of* fine red^ and.on the
back of a gold green colour, it firigs very finely
and is of the fizc cf a canary birdf .

rhic atr^4ma'Wii h quhe r»d> feaviHg ^e
^rdtt black, and a e^eft af feathers on its
llead, its bill is ftrong and red ; it is t kind of
'PpmoWf which is very fond of men> and comes
•to the fize of a lark, but whifttes during iummei'
like a black-bird J. :Am/

Bb 2

The

tlTji:

^^ ■- ~ - ■ m ii

* Mocking bird, TurJut Orpheus Linn. Kalm's Travels,
Vol. II. p. 90. F.

t Pope is the male of the EmhHta Cirit Linn. k«o>vn by
the name of painted Finch. F.

: Cardinal bird is the lexia CarJinalit, Linn. F.

372 TRAVELS: through

The Bijhop is blue mhad with purple and of
the fize of a linnet *f Wiii „. . i. Vj m,i

The goidifinch is quite yelloir, with the dps
of the wings black "f". ' nr^-hfif. . ; ^

There is « bird they call the H^kqidnt b«f
caiife it is varied with many colours, and an-
other called the SwifSy becaufc it is i-ed and^blue j
the laft three,. fpecies only come to the Illinois in
fummer.

The humming bird is no bigger than a large
beetle, and painted with many bright ahd chang-
ing colours i it lives upon the fweet juice ^f
flowers as bees do \ its neft is made of a very
fine cotton or woolly fubft^nce, and fufpended
on the brduch of a tree j. There are number-
lefs unknown birds, which would make the ac-
count too long.

I have feen butterflies of great beauty j I
foiihd two on my voyages (that have been eaten

* fiiihop, Tanagra Epi/copus Linn.

t Goldfinch, FringiUa trijiis, Linn.

X Humming bird, Trochilus Co!u6ris, Linn,

.. ' -- *

Jmt^O V I^Srl-A N A.

373

up by worms) the like of which I never faw ;
I never beheld any thing more magnificent ! it
fcemed as if the author of nature had been
pkafcd to throw upon their wings the fineft and
moft vivid colours -, the finefl and pureft gold
appeared mixed among the other colours with
admirable fymmctry,

■r

i Thefc butterflies were probably carried to the
Jkanzas by a fudden dorm, for in the whole
fpace of a thoufand leagues which I have gone
through, I have never found their equals. I
defired fome Indians, of the Ofagesnition, who
live near the mines of St. Barbe, to bring md
fome of thefe butterflies": they anfwered, that
in the country where they were to be found, the
inhabitants were very ferocious, and had merely
the forms of men. i^'*'^*-

*,4p. I*!? is V*. ' i. ■ . ' ' . . ,

^ Here are various forts of ducks, but the
inoft curious are thofe which perch on trees, hav-
ing pretty ftrong claws at the end of their
palmated toes j they build their nells upon thofe
trees which lean over rivers or lakes, and when
their young ones are hatched, they go into the
water immediately. As to thfir feathers, they
are (haded with the fineft colours : the male has
a creft upon its hfad. Thefe ducks are the bed

Bb3 to

374 TRAVELS throi/ok

to cat, they fee4 in th() woot^ on acorns amji
bsech focdi*.

On the banks of rmv^ thfff «re Ipjrd^ ^]|«4-
^ir^/ii they are exceeding white and the la<|ie9
employ their feathers as aigrttf^s f. .^^^

The Pelican^ which the inhabitants of the
country call great throat, on account of ^
pouch he has under hts throat, is a^ white
and as Urge as a fwan, Ip biU is abguc twelve
inches long j they make muffs of its (kin, and
precipitate the pafte of indigo with i«s fat.
This paile is made froo^ a plant, the grain
of which comes from .^h^ Eaft Indies, for dying
blue J.

■f *** f \ 1

The fpoon-bill §, having a bill like a ^atuja^
an apothecary's inftrument fo called. 1 here is
likewife a bird called L/mtt-bHK ^boTe beak is

aSually

* TMs io tHe JtMf aritrtat Linx*

i Eg^ts, jir^ifit mtkuf Lian. the great wUte heiQi^f
Forft. North. An. Aniqtals, p. 14.

X P«]iean, Pebcanm tjiiucpais&ts, 0. lin^.

f Sjpooii-bill, ffafalea LfUftr^ia, Um^

L O U I S I A N 4V.

'37S

^milly like 9 lancet. It i& impolQble to finilh
this matter, it would re*|uire whole volumes ; J
leave this detail to our learned countryiren, M.
4e Buffott and Daakenton^ who have yjidcrtakfn
this vaft work. I wiih you m^y be content with
this Ihort account.

: V7

I am, S I R, &c.

^t New Orleans the \Ji

*«

*' nriT

P. S, Before I conclude, txiy letter I i^i^U
ipeak to you of two precipus plants ia
Louifiana; which §§5 .^e Itidigc and thf
Cottm» . •

Indigo is a plant Tcfemibling th i r Gt-

wjla very much. A kind of it r » in

JLouifiana fpontaneoijfly, and coii^ m

hills and near woods. That- which is c. .ed
is brought from the Weft India ifles, Ther^ .
^rc two crops of it every year. It grows to the
height of two feet and a half. When it is ripe,
it is cut, and brought into tiie place where it is
ta roti this is a building twenty feet high,*
without walls i" but only fupportcd by pofts.
jIn it they make three troughs, one above an-

B h 4 other

THRCUOtt

376 TRAVELS

other, the lowed is made fo, that the wate/
it containSj may tun out of it, and out of the
building. The fecond ftands on the edge of
thisj fo tflat the water it contains falh into the
firft, and the third is difpofed in the fame irian-
ner with regard to the fecond. The indigo
leaves are put into the uppermoft trough j with
a certain quantity of water, and mud putrify in
it. The man who is at the head of the manii-
fafturc examines the indiga.from time to time,
and when he fees it is time 10 empty this trough,
he turns the icJc, and the water runs into the
fecond trough -, there is a proper time whicU
muft be^'well obfervcd for doing this dperation,
for if the plant remains too long in this putfefy-
ing place, the Indjgo becomes black

As foon as t!ie water is in the fecond trough,
it is beaten till the overleer thinks it furticient i
it is ufe and habit by which one learns to feize
upon the true moment When the water has
been well beaten, it is left to fettle : the indigo
forms a kind of fedimetit at the bottom of the
trough J the water above it muft have time to
become clear, and is afterwards drawn off
by nieans of feveral cocks placed above each
other.

The

JL 0)«y I S I A ^f A:

V. The incMgo \i then takers off like wife, fthd
fct mQ {^k%\ m«dc of cwuflnvn feckcloth*
whtrc the remaining i^ater may riin off. After
;his it is fpread upon boards. And when dry it is
9V?into little. fcjuare. pieces, put Jntc barrels,
and fo f(pnt to £«r<?^^^ > «i tJ^ef:

In order to have feeds, it' is neceflary only to
let foBian^ plants gtow up as are wanted} it
grows more or lelB tall according to the nature
of the foil, which ought to be light; in, the
Weft India ifland^ they have four crops a-year,
on account of d»e. great heat, but m Louiftana
Jbey cannot have above three} the indigo in.t^;
latter place is likewife not fo good *

The cotton-Ihrub is no bigger than a rofe-
bu(h, but fpreads more. It does not fucce?d fo
well in ftrong or rich grounds as in others j there-
fore that which grows in Lower Lomjiana, is*in^
fericr in goodnefs to that which is cultivated in
the higher parts of that province. . - ^

«4rMi

The

• ' The indigo plant is, with Dr. Unrntus, the IniHgofera
tlnaoriu, and the indigo mentioned to grow fpontaneoully
m Louiftana is the Bophora tinauria, Linn, ; which, with a
proper management, is faid to afford as good indigo as the
celebrated Anil of the Indies and Egypt. F.

5f| TRAVELS xWRatrcif

''The ootcon of this Gotintiy is of the fpecies
called white cotton of Sianv k is neither fo
fine nor fo l«Mig as the filky cotton, but it is
however very white and very fine. Its leaves are
©f a lively greee, and refemble fpinage very
much ; the flower is of a pale yellow, the ieed
contained in the capfule is black, and oval like
a ktdney>bean : it is commonly planted in fuch
grounds as are not yet fie for tobacco or
for indigo-, for the latter re^bireis the grcateft
care. '•' ♦^5^hv/ ,4ftJ a*

The (hrub is cut down to die ground every
two or three years, becaufe they fay it bears
more after it. The piftil of the flower changes
into an acuminated capfule, of the lize of a pi«
geon*s egg, green at firfl, then brown, and at
lail almoft black, dry and brittle.

When the cotton is ripe, the heat of the iun
makes it expand \ the capfult that contained it
opens in three or four places with a little noife.
Then it muft be gathered cljuickly, left it Ihould
be loft. Each capfule contains five, fix, or fe-
ven feeds, of the fize of peafe } the cotton flicks
to them, and it is therefore diflicult to get the
feeds out, except in time and with patience ; for

this

L O I? I S 1 A N A. 379

this rcafon, however, many planters hairc been
difguftcd with thf culture <rf CQtttm % \ -* ?^ * -

I have not mentioned tobacco to you ; it is
likely that it is a native of the country, becaufc
the tradition of the Indians, or tjieir 4»«V*/ word,
tells us, that they have always employed it to
fmoke in their calumets of peace. I ftiall con-
clude with an obfervation that has already been
made, and which it is good to repeat, till fome-
body tries the experiment. The climate of Lou-*
ifianat and the hilly parts of that country, give
reafon to believe, that it would not be difficult
to pUnt fa^n there ; the colonifts would reap
great advantages from it, and the neighbourhood
of Mtm0 would procure tliem a quick and ccr«
tainly an ufeful confumption.

♦ The pepple in the fiagUih coloniei, and in Chin>, em.
ploy ao iijftmment wJH«h Ccffff9$ea the oqiU frpm the cottoa
iVith great eafe. F.

LET-

5$o TRAVELS ;throuo

L E 'T 1? E R- XXI.

Reflexion: en the Population of Amei ica ; that Con-
^ tinent lias not been unknown to the Ancients \ it
^feems that it is connected with Aftston the Side of
4f, Tartary, from whencrthe People that firji fettled
h it nmfi naturally be fupp&fed to hai}e come. A
^nDigreffion appn the IVa^ofpreferving one's Health
in America. . "^ < ; i . . .

SIR,

)J^)iC*^ Expcft to fct out for France very foon ;
I ^ and I take advantage of an opportuni-
1)J()J(5 ty '^^^t ofi<^" to write tg'you, before I
leave this part of the world. After giving you
an idea of the manners, cuftoms, and of the hi-
llory of the people with whom I have been du-
ring my voyages, I do not believe I could bet-
ter conclude my narrative, than by fomc reflcc-
. , tion«

L O U I S I A N A. 381

xHqm on the population of thii immcnfc conti*
neot; but tbis matter i& fo obfcure, that wt
cannot now flatter ouirfclvcs to clear hvtp: ma*
ny "learned writers have already ktcetnpted to
throw light upoh'it, but chey ha^ oot-iuccccd*
ffdi modern phttofophy has endeavoured, with
afl.liii^e fuccdi, to draw advantages* from it*
and its reafonings and opinions have not cvea
becri able to fcducc weak geniufes;'.* tjif- r r -,j
tiinik of 'n^f?-m~ M! v*3-i', ^ ^ •;••' •',••' * ' J ,'**
.n'^y reflefting attentively upon the qJ4 mUcr%
every thing Teems to, convince us, th^% /tnurka
was not entirely unknown to tiien)..^..Ds<ui9ria
Siculus feems to have fpoken of it with precifion
enough : Father Laffiteau quotes a paflage from
thftt hiftorian, and^ds his refleaioni to clear
fit up. The Phcsmdans^ if we may believe the
Greek audior, after fending leveral cdonies up-
,on the coaft of the Mediterranean, bcjng enrich-
ed by their tradfc, did not go far beyond the cp-
4umns of Hercules; that vaft and unknOjwn
ocean, which thej^ difcovered on coming through
thcftreights of mral/4r, infpircd the^ wich>
kind of horror, which they furmounted only by
Hv'grccs : fomc bold navigators ventured out Up-
on the ocean afterwards ; but failing along tlic
coaft of Africa, Si violent tempeft, of feveral
days duration, carried them to ar, ifle of very

great

$Zt T R A V E L S tHRoucH

great extent, m a gtoAt diftatia; to the weftward.
Ai tbeir return they were verf ready to Tpcak of
their dtfeovcrf, they emb<^KIhed their aCG0i>m8t
withali th« HAknahmlht to travellers of ^il
countries, and at sU aflwrt. When the Tyrrfte*
niam betame the tm^crt of tb^ fe^ they wers
imlhtig to mtkt a ibttlemeht there ; b«tt the
CarPkag4ftiansoppoikiA it^ hating that their icoun*
trymen, attradbed by what was faid of this hmd»
ihould leave their country in order to fettle
Aere 5 they likeWifc coAfi^red this ne#-aifco*
vered country as a laft r^fource for themfelves,
in cafe {omie difeftcr fhould hiive overturned cheir
«npire. '^^i-r^r

i itA

ssi

'To this paflkge of IMtrtii Skahts^ Father
Jjtffifiou adds one of Paufimias^ this writ«jr^«i
inquiring, whether there were a«y4tyrsj one
Euphmu^y who was born in CatiA^ told him,
that, in a voyage of his, he had been carried by
'a ftorift ^o the extrcmkifes of the ocean, w>hert
he had feen feveral illes^ whidh «he ftilors «aJlcd
Smyridti, The people Ihac mhabktsd them wire
<^ a red colour, and had tails \ the failors trem-
bled* and endeavoured to avoid them \ but the
contrary winds forced them to coftle near die
ihore^ the favagcs invefted th6 vcflcl, and the

crew.

h9,U I S\li)^,N A. ^s

crtw-, in <Mfir to get rid <4 th<mi -were obliged to
deliver a woman to them.; ■,^r-iUoibhr,i:\.

Father Lqffittatt's reflexion will appear very

juft to you. « The defcription of thefe ifland-

." crs," fays hc» « pcrfeaiy Hts to the CaraUa^

,*' who were mafters of the Antilles, commonly

;«« called the Carihe iilands, out of moft of

i^^ which they have been expelled by the Euros-

.V pcaiu in thefe latter times. The complexioo

i' of thcfc people is very red, and it is n^urally

*f*fo> it bckig lefs the cffcft of the climate,

.«* than of the imagination of the mothers, who,

?' finding the red coIobf beautiful, traofmitit

S^ to dieir children * ; their flclh is likcwffe arti-

fkially red, for they paint themfclves. ^rcry

day with rocou, which fcrves inftcad of vermi-

./» lion to them, and appear as red as blOod by

-4" it. As to what concerns the imagination of

** the failor^s^ who thought they beheld fatyrs,

.£«^ it only was the effcA of fear, that made tliem

**takc

* Every one will not agnjc with the Jefuh ttpon the ef-
.^fca of th« mother's imagination on their children : the (Uf>
fcrent solours of men from the feveral parts of the world, offer
many more difficulties. All that haf, been written on the
ftfbjeft ha» not explained this phenomenon ; men who \fere
originally v/hite, muft haws become black, red, and brown,
(bronzed), by the union of feveral caufes.

g^4 "^ R' A * E L S i4iR<€?tr(^k

« take falfe tails fot leut <)h«i a!lm(Oll ill the
" barbarous nations of America wdi'e this orna-

ment, efpecially when they went to war,"

-fc-Thcrimilarity which has been 6brervC)d to ex-
,ift between the nnarmers of ;ieVer«i Aertcatt nK-
tibHs^,-' and th6jfc 6^ fome of die oldeft nat?6ns on
dlir 'Cdhtin^nt, 'feemS to dc'monftrift? that this
coiirttry was not unknown in ancieilt drfjesi"' an^
Chicriy proves that the known^ di: 'Old 'pains fut*
nilhed the new one -Vith- met! -, h6v^ c6iAd thslt
fimilarky be explained, if tiiis hadf not^ha{)pch-
cd ? How great-arefemblaiice is'^herc in the
religion, •manners, 'an<5cuftoftnis of t\i€ TndianSt
with thofe of fome ancient natidnfi;'-' Thefe de-
tails will always deftroy nioft of-the bold fyftems
which have been ftartj^a* on the popuIatioA of
Jmerica. If they were ¥ colony of people dca*
ped from thb deluge, the univeHkKty^f Which
is in vain conteftcd, they w^lUd Kave-brought
anti-diluvian cuftomsiiico America. ' Thole tia-
tions that were born after this dreadful punifli-
mcnt, do they refc m5!cWerrlince(loTs'thalw€fe
buried oi-nder the floods ? We have nox yet light
enough upon this fubjeft to make ajuft'cbmpa-
rifon •, we can anfwcr. nothing to thcife who fay,
T^hat the Jlmighty hand^ which fowed^ phnt's ana
fruits in ail parts of the world, could likewU&^likce

t d tj i s i ,A N

A. 3$$

hteh ihmi Art ingeriious phfafe is not always a
tcafon : no one difputes this power of the Crea-
tor ; but he has been plesfed to teach us him-
felf, that it \^as riot his will to' ijeople the world
fo, arid that he ga^e exifterice to two creatures^
who were the origin of the whole human race.

All tliefe bpiriicriS reft upon the* tbiirfe
that men muft have taken^ in order to comef
from the old world to the new j arid it is upoii
this difficulty that moft authors found their wri-
tings. A more exact and extenfive knowledge
of ouf globe would annihilate all thefe difficul-
ties. It is very probable, that thcfre is a paflage
which unites Afia to Ayierica j 1 have already
faid fomething of it to you, in fpeaking of the
elephants bones found in orie of the countries I
have gone through : this is not a new opinion ;
this conjecture has been made long ago^ ** Ame--
" nVj," fays Father X^^/^^j//, «* can be come at
" in different places, and accordingly it may
«* have been peopled from all fides ; this is be-
«* yond a doubt % it is but at a little diftance
" from the fouthern unknown countries ; and
" in the north, Greenland^ which is perhaps con-«
" tiguous to this new continent, is not far from
« Lapland, Thofe parts of .^^ which bound it
« towards the land of Tefo, probably make but
Vol. L C 6 « ©ng!

386 TRAVELS throvgit

*' one continent with, or are only at a little di-
•* ftance from America^ if the llreights that are
" fuppofed to be there go to the Tatarian fea :
*' the ocean which furrounds America almoft en-
" tirely, is ftrewed with ifles, both in the nor-
" them and fouthcrn feas. Men may have gone
" from ifle to iflc, cither by fhipwreck or by
" mere chance."

This author alledges many reafons to prove,
that North America joins to Tartary, or to fomc
country contiguous to it ; the following is a very
fmgular one : You know that ginfeng is original-
ly a native of the Mantehcoux Tartary^ the Chinefe
or Tartarian name of it fignifies, the thigJis of a
man. The Americans^ who were long acquaint-
ed with it, and made ufe of it, called it gareU
oguen, which has the fame fignification. If A-
merica did not join to Tartary^ or if the latter
had not peopled the firlt, how could their re-
fpe«5tive inhabitants give names of the fame fig-
nification to the fame plant ? I do not fpeak
here of etymologies of words that have been
corrupted, and which are only found by forcing
them i their fignilication is here in queftion.

Captain William Rogers looks upon it as very
probable, that fome TarUmns paffcd over into

America :

Lou

I S 1 A N A. 3^y

/Imerica: he obferves, that the fliips which an^
nually go from the Pkllppints to Mexico, are ob-
liged to fleer to the northward, in order to meet
with favourable winds, thofe which rife between
the tropics being air/ays contrary to t!iem. He
adds, that after painUg forty-two degrees of
north latitude, failors often meet with fands and
fhallows, which feem to indicate that they are
near fome coafts; He imagines, that thefe coafts
might well be fome continent unknown to Euro^
peans, and uniting California with yap^n j but
fliould they not rather be the coafts of Kamu/iaf.
ka, or of that new country to the eaft difcovered
by Captain Bering ?

To thefe obfervatlons t fkall add art a^ftfacft
Of a relation, publifhed in the Mercure Galant
for November 1711. i fl,all quote the fadt,
without making any reflexions to confirm o^ con-
tradidt It 5 . the author pretends to have got it out
of a manufcript found in Canadai

Ten men refolved ti gb out tapbri difcoverles.
With a view to get richec , they embarked in
^ree canoes, and went up the fiver Miffiftppi,
After a long voyage, they found another river
which flowed to thefouth-fouth-weft; they car-
ried their canoes to it, and continued their na--

G c

vigation j

388 TRAVELS through

vigation; fome time after, they zrfivfd it» a
country which extended two hundred leagues*
and was inhabited by a nation who called them-
felves Efcaaniba,

The Frenchmert (for the ten travellers were
of that nation) found much gold with thefe
people. Their king pretended to deduce his
origin from Montezuma; his name was ^gau^
•zan^ and he kept a (landing army of an hundred
thoufand men irt time of peace. The Efcaaniba
women were R^hite as tlie European women > they
and the men of that nation had long ears, to
which they faftened gold rings. One of their
diftin<5lions was, to let their nails grow : poly-
gamy was permitted among them;; they did not
pay any attention to their daughters* who lived
in the greateft liberty, without any one to watch
over their condufl. Their country produced to-
bacco, various fruits, fome cbmmon to Europe
and India, and fome that were peculiar to it ;
the rivers abounded with fifii ; their forefts were
full of game of every kind, and contained above
all a great number of parrots. The capital was
fituated at fix leagues from the river, which they
called Miffiy Golden river. They valued gold
fo little, that they permitted the French to take
as much as they pleafed with them : you may

con^

LOUISIANA. 389

conceive, that they made a good ufe of this per-
miflion i each of them took for his (hare two
hundred and forty pounds weight of gold. Their
mines were in the mountains, from whence they
brought the gold upon rivulets, which were dry
during one fcafon of the year,

Thefe people traded with a nation v«ry diftant
from them •, and in order to make the French
fcnfiblc of it, they told them, that it required
fix months to make the voyage. The adventu-
rers happened to be with the Efcaanibas at the
time when their caravan fet out to trade with
thofe ftrangers j it confiftcd of three hundred
oxen loaded with gold ; an equal number of
men, armed with lances, bows, arrows, and a
kind of daggers, x:onduded and watched them :
they brought back, in exchange for their gold,
ibme iron, ftcel, lances, and other Weapons,

I cannot afcertain in what degree we mav
truft this account; ths adventurers conjeftured,
that the diftant country whither the Efcaaniboi
went, was Japan ; in that cafe, there muft be a
communication between JJia and America j fome
Englilh writers, without attempting to difputc
the authenticity of this account, believe, that
the favages went to trade with the inhabitants of

C c 3 Kamt'

J90 TRAVELS through

Kamptchatka, or of fome ifle or Gontineni: nea?
that peninfula. This communication will never
be well afcertained whiltt it remains undifcover-
ed * Conjeftures explain nothing -, they give
probabilities, but go no further ; however, be
it as it will, it is very probable that fuch a com-
munication exifts : fuppofing there are ftreights
that divide thefe two great parts of the world,
they cannot have prevented men from penetra-
ting out of one into the other, ^by crofTing thofe
ftreights. We mu ft hope, that the ignorance
in which we are at prefent will not laft for ever ;
the difcoveries which men Ihall endeavour to
make in the great fouthern or Pacific ocean, will
give us more light on this fubjed f. If, after

making

'^ The modern geographical difcoveries, and efpecially
thofcmade by the Ruffians, fufficiently evince, that thr fe^
entirely divide: jj/ua from America ; there can be no doubt
neither of Jt^pan's being an ifle, and unconnected vyith the
continent of ^,'/;.?;7Vfl; it is true, however, that the fea which
divides Afia from America near Cape Tchukjhi, is very nar ■
row, and not a ftiificient obftacle to the migration of the na-
tions XiiX:. inhab'.t the north-eaft parts of Siberia into Ameri-
ca ; for a /"-r!lvT hint co:(i:e-iung the population of that vafl
contJiifciit, fee Kalms Travels to North America, vol. ii^,
p. J 25. &c. F.

t When thefe letters were gone to pr^fs, 1 ird that th,e
Fnglifli had difcovered ten i/Iqnds'.in that ocean. There is

LOUISIANA.

391

making voyages that way, fome ftreights be
really found, it is no realbn why they Ihould al-
ways have been there : earthquakes niay have
divided the ifthmus or neck of land which com-
bined the two continents ; many authors attri-
bute the, ftreights of Gibraltar to the lame kind
ot event : the Mediterranean, they fay, had
formerly no communication with the Atlantic i
many pretend, that Qreat Britain was jojlnpd to
France j now the Tea fcparates Dover and Calais :
why cannot this be the cafe with JJfi and /Ame-
rica likewife ?

The time in, which the population of America
was commenced, is as obfcure and indetermi-
nate as the manner in which it was peopled ; eve-
ry thing which is difficult to penetrate excif
jhe curiofity of men ; they wifh to fee fomething
new, and to fpeak gf it, and frequently they

C c 4 give

an account of it in the voyage of Commoaore Byron, who
has been fo much talked of, and has proved the exiftence of
giants, which was blindly believed by the ancients, rejefted
as chimerical by the moderns, and now confirmed by new
difcoveries. The next voyage which the English will make
that way, will furnifli us with more minute accounts ; others
will be encouraged to imitate them, and aperfeft knowledge
pf the South Sea will clear up the difficulties concerning the
junftion of JJta and America.

39* TRAVELS throuoii

give us their own chinicrical imaginations a«
Ibmcthing real. Among the fingular opinions
which thijj fubjed has given rile to, I Ihall men-
tion that of Marc Lrfcarftot^ in his Hi^^ory of
New France \ Father f^ajfiteau Ihalj Hill be my
guide on thi$ occation, and trcim his work on
the manners of the lavage Americans, I fhall
Vikt what \ have to fay on this matter. ** Lef
^* carboi has not Tcrupled to ac|vancc very pofi-
*' lively, and in a manner f.hat goes beyond con-
*» jeaure> that Noah was not unacquainted with
*' the wcllcrn continent, (where Lefcarbot was
^* born; i and that at leaft he knew it by fame.
** That, having lived three hundred and fifty
•* years after the deluge, he himfclf had taken
•* care to people, or rather to re-people that
" country : that, being a good workman, and
•* an excellent pilot, and being charged to rc-
** pair the dcfolation of the earth, he may be
** fuppofed to have condudtcd his children thi-
** thcr i and it may have been as eafy to him to
** have gone througli the llrcights of GfMtar to
** Netv France^ Cape ferJ, and Brazil, as i" was
•' to his children to go and iettle in ^apan, or
** as it was to himfelf to come from the moun-
'* tains of /Armenia into Ilah, where he founded
.•* the y*imcu/ian upon the banks of the Ttkr, if

*•* we

LOUISIANA. 391

»* we may credit the account^ giycn by profane
^ writers,"

I doubt whether it is necefTary to go back to
f^oah^ to fijid the period of the population of
America j if, as is very probable, the rartart
went over into that continent, it muft have hap-
pcned in the following times : a fct of people,
who are not numerous, do not cafily leave the
vaft country they inhabit ; they do not fo foon
endeavour to feparate from each other-, they
continue together, till, by having multiplied too
much, they fpread more, or till fome other cir^
cumftanccs force them to leave their native
country : fuch rcfearchcs are of little importance;
they arc mere matters of curiofity, and the di/H-
culty of fatifying that ought to prevent men
from employing their time in them. All that
can be aflcrted with certainty is, that Ammca
^ccms to have been inhabited only of late.

"Powell, an Englifli writer, rpentions, in his
Hiitory of Wales, that, in the year 1 1 70, there
was a war in that country for the fucceffion to
the throne, after the death of Prince OwmGw/«^
neth» A baftard took the crown from the legi-
timate children -, one of the latter, whofc name
Ifvas Madoc, embarked in order to make ^pw dii'-.

covcries \

394 TRAVELS through

covcries ; direfting his courfe to the weftwarJ,
he came to a country the fertility and beauty of
which were amazing. As this country, was with-
out inhabitants, Madoc fettled in it j Bakkit
affures us, that he made two or three voyages to
England to fetch inhabitants, who, upon the
account he gave them of that fine country, went
to fettle with him.

The Englifh believe, that this prince difco-.
vered Virginia. Peter Martyr feems to give a
proof of it, when he fays, that the nations of
Virginia^ and thofe of Guatimala, celebrate the
memory of one of their ancient heroes, whom
they call Af^^^r. Several modern travellers have
found ancient Britifh words ufed by the North
American nations. The celebrated Englifh Bi-
fhop Nic/iol/on believes, that the Welch language
has formed a confiderable part of the latiguages
of the American nations •, there are antiquaries
who pretend, that the Spaniards got their double
or guttural / (II) from the Americans^ who, ac-
cording to the Englilh, muft have got it from
the PTelch, I ihould never have done, if I were
to mention all their reaibnings to prove the voy-
age of the IVelch Prince Madoc. The Dutch
brought a bird, with a white head, from the
ftreights of Magelhin^ which the natives called

Fenguin \

i- o u I s I

A N A.

395

hngwm this word is an old Welch one, and
fignifies whiteheads from hence tJiey conclude,
?hat the natives original! came froni PFaks *.

The EngliJJi are not the only people, who, ac-
cording to our hiftorical romances, went to lime,
ttca and fettled there : Bayer pretends, that the
Normam were the firft Europeans who ventured
%o fail to that country.

Doftor Lochner afTerts that a Bohemum of ft
diftmguiflied family went to Braftl, and difcc
vered the ftraights of Magellan, before Columbus
went to the New World ; this Bohemian wa.
called Martini. Many German writers who
^ feem

.. ! T^ u- J'"'"'''''* " "" '''■°"^ <-uppofition ; for it appears,
hat the bud xn qudlion has a bkck and not a white head

Piititsnameis Spanifh, and fienifiesafaf hJr^ »i. b

cr rather Pin^uin%in^\t^ ^ 1] ' ^'' ^''^* '^'^ ^'"^"'^

t Our author miftakcs the n,me of thU mat, for that of
his country: he was called Martin Behai^n, a native of Nu.
renkergrn Germany; his father was a noble fenator of that
c.^: after ftudying mathematics, and cfpecially aftronolT;
.nnd geography, under the great mathematician Joannes Re-

hcPnnces//.^.//.. daughter to John I. cf Portugal; he

here obt.ned the command of a fhip, fitted out'for the

^urpofe of makmg difcovcries : he fct fail in ,460, and,

faillntr

39^ TRAVELS through

feem to wiih that America fliould bear his name
preferably to that of Americo Vefpucci, have fol-
lowed this opinion.

Whether thefe traditions are adopted or re-
jected, whether they are fabulous or true, it re-
mains mconteftible that the Americans have the
fame origin with us ; among all their errors, they
have preferved fome ideas that have a great fimi*
larity with thofe, which have been •■ranfniicted to
us by writing : I (hall mention to you a piece of
an iinglilh diflcrtation on the population of

Aniericay

failing to the weftward firft met with the ifle of fayal one of
the Azores^ all which iflands were afterwards called the Fk>^
mijh illes from the firft inhabitants, which Martin Behaim
brought thither. He then returned, and obtained two Ihips,
with which he cruized in the atlantic for fome time, and at
laft difcovercd the fourth part of the world, and even went
as for as the ftraights, now called Straights of Magellan ; he
laid down all his difcoveries in a fea chart, which he pre-
fented to king Mphon/us the fifth, of Portugal. This fketch
afterwartls fell into the hands of Chrijioplier Columbus^ a Ge-
noeje who was at Liibon, and firft infpired him with a defire
of vifiting thofe unknown countries. When he undertook
the voyage, he always followed the fame courfe which Mar-
tin Bthaim had laid down on his chart, and performed the
voyage in as (hort a time as is done now. in the noble fa-
mily of Behaim zt Nurenbcfg, they ftill prefcr/e among other
curioiities a globe drawn with a pen, and coloured by thai
4ble navigator, in which all hij difcovcric? are marked, F,

LOUISIANA.

397

«(

America^ in which many American opinions are
collected, which owe their origin to the truths
prefervcd by Mofes. « The ?erwoians believe.
*' that there formerly was a deluge, by which
" all the inhabitants of their continent perifhcd,
^* a few excepted, who retired into caverns at
" the top of the higheft mountains, and whofe
" defcendants filled the earth with inhabitants
"again. Some ideas, little different from
thefe have been received by the natives of
Hifpaniola, according to what Gemelli Carreri
" relates. The old hiftories of Mexico likewife
•* mentioj an univerfal deluge, by which all
" men, one man and woman excepted, perilhed.
« Thefe two people, according to the Mexicans^
•' had numerous defcendants ; but all their chil-
« dren were dumb, till a pigeon endowed them
" with the power of fpeech 5 they add, that the
"primitive language of the immediate dc-
" fcendants of the couple who furvivcd the de-
" h'ge, was fplit into fo many dialeds, that it
was impombie for them to underftand each
other 5 which after obliging them to feparate,
contributed to make them people the different
" countries of the earth. Some American na-
" tions have a tradition, that all men derive
« their origin from four women, which agrees
« pretty well with the Mofaic hiftory, which

•' makes

398 TRAVELS TfeRoOGi*

*' makes all the nations defcend from Noah anYl
*' his three Ions. Air thefe traditions manifeftl/
" fhew, that the Americans are defcendants of
•* Noahy and that various accounts of the Mo-^
*^ faic hiftory are even come down to them.
" This is fufficierit to overthrow the ftrange iy^-,
*' tern which attributes anceftors to the Americans
•' anterior to Adam,*

Does not this quotation anfwer all the argu-
ments of thofe fyftematic writers, who will give
us the fruits of their abfurd imagination as
truths ? Where could the Americans get thefe
notions, if they were not all pofterior to the de-
luge, and defcended from nations that had pre-
fer ved the tradition ? It is eafy to explain, that
by length of time, by the ignorance and the
mutability of the Indians^ they have immerfed
true fadts, which were committed to their me-
mory, in fables. The want of monuments,
characters or letters to write down thofe events,
certainly impairs the purity of tradition j as
foon as it is tranfmitted by word of mouth from
father to fon, it mull be much changed after
paffing through fo many ^generations.

The wars which the Indians ever carried on
among themfelves, have contributed greatly to

hinder

L O U I S I A N

399

hinder population ; their fmall number has cer-
tainly been the caufe of the nomadic life they
lead ; they ran through the woods in order to
fearch for game, and fettled in all the places
where they found food in abundance, leaviiig
them agam in order to go further, whenever it
began to fail them.

If they were more numerqus their wants
would increafe ; it would become more difficult
to provide food for them all , this difficulty
would open their minds, give them new ideas -
they would feel that it was necefTarv to provide
a fubfiftence more independent * from mere
chance ; the fruits which the earth produces
would teach them to multiply them by cultiva*
tion ; they would fee all the ufcs of thcfe pro-
dudions, think of appropriating them to them-
felves, and fucceed in it ; in fome places we fee
them already cultivate maize, they would fooa
cultivate other corn ; one kind of knowledcre
would lead to another : they would fettle in the
country which they had cultivated, and be na
longer fuch vagabonds as there are now.

The fcttlement of the Europeans in the nor.
thern parts has engaged many of thefe nations
to come and fettle in their neighbourhood in

order

400 TRAVEL S THft6t^ci«

order to get that afliftance from them which
they want ; the defire which the Europeans fhew
of poflefling their furs and the eafe with which
they can obtain brandy and fire-arms in exchange
for them, often excite them to go through the
woods and hunt in the extent of two hundred
leagues around, in order to get thofe things,
which become real wants to them ; thus they
are only apparently fixed 5 they preferve their
love for a rambling life, and the period of their
civilization feems as yet very diftant ; perhaps
they will deftroy each other before they come
to it.

This is all that can be aflerted with probabi-
lity on the population of America ; my letter
would be too long, if I would only mention a
hundredth part of what has been faid on this
fubjeft. The fyftems and contrary opinions
which have been long publifhed, would make
confiderable volumes-, I have endeavoured to
confine myfelf to curious obfervations ; thofe
who think the Tartars Kavc chiefly furniflied
America with inhabitants, feem to have hit the
true opinion; yo'i cannot believe how great
the refemblance of the*'Indian manners is to thofe
of the ancient Scythians •, it is found in their
religious ceremonies, their cuftoms and in their

food.

LOUISIANA. 4ar

food. Hornius is full of charaaeriftics, that
may fatisfy your curiofity in this refpefl, and I
defire you to read him.

I fhair now quit all thefe difcufllons which
ought to finilh the account of my voyages, and
fhall fpeak of another fubjed, more ufeful to
thfc human race, in regard to which obfer-
vation and experience fuffice to inftraft us.

As it is the natural defire of man to live long,
I hope it will not be foreign to my purpofe, m
fliew in a few words, how one may preferve life
and live long in America,

I fhall therefore finifK my letter by a fmall dif-
fertation on the method of managing one's
health. I remember to have read, in the Hol-
land Gazette of the 3d of April 1687, that Fre^
derick Gualdus, a noble Venetian, has preferved
his life to the age of four hundred years; it is
pretended, that he was poirefTed of the univer-.
fal medicine. He left Venice the 7th of March
i686; having his pidure with him painted by
Titian, who was then already dead an hundred
and thirty years. I am fure you will agree with
me in faying, that exercife and fobricty procure
a perfeft health. The nations oUmerica k ew
^^^•I- Pd neither

40^2

TRAVELS THuouGR

neither wine nor brandy two hundred and Cixty^
years ago, when the Europeans came to them v
they lied, as I have already faid, on the flefh
of wild beads dried, roaftcd, or boiled with
maize pounded in a mortar made of fome hard
wood. This food is wholefome, and makes a
very good chyle, I have lived about two months
upon-thefe vidtuals, going up the nvtt MbbiU
with the Indians^ and can affirm, that I never
enjoyed my health better in my life than at that
time. Of all Latin proverbs, this is the beft :

P lures gula occidit, quam gladius,

Voluptuoufnefs and intemperance in eating and
drinking, deftroy more men than the fword.
Therefore one ought to prefcribe to himfelf a
proper regimen of life, efpecially in the hoc
countries of America.

Firft of all, great care muft be taken to be
accuftomed to the climate by degrees, and to ab •
ftain from eating all kinds of fruit, and drinking
all forts of liquors, till the body is ufed to it.
People who are very replete with blood, may be
bkd from time to time, to prevent an apoplexy.
A gentle purge will fometimes do well; the

burning

I- O U I S I A N A. 403

burning ' eat of the fun muft be avoided. : j
the air at niglu lilcewife.

Wh'-n one has drunk too much wine, "it i, ne-
ce/rarytotake four things, fuch as lemon,
whjch ,s very common there ; by this means you
Will neither find yourfelve, ill. nor be overcome
ey the vapours which commonly follow. If the
qtiantity of liquor which has been drank heats
the body, fome refreihing aliments muft be ra-
taken, but every thing that increafes heat muft
be avoided : fpirituous liquors Ihould be drank as
lutle as poffible. for they burn &e blood, and
eaiuy caufe a hot fever.

When you have eaten too mcch. ftrona li/
quors are good to ftrengthen the ftomach, "and
helpdigeftion; but if, on the contrary, irhao
pens that you are heated by drinking too nnich^^
they would prove very dangerous. Thole who'
are too much addiiled to debauchery are almoft
always tormented with bad .ireams, which h
tigue them fo much as almoft to trouble their

^ ^ "■ mind, .

« Itoughitobereniaifcd, that, liiicc the ^;.,. ■ ,,
^ra„k wine and b.and,, .hey ha>; ,i,„ ^ t:r ''°

"ciicd then

4C4 TRAVELS through

jjiinci,. because the fumes of the wine, with
which their body is filled, TucceiTively excite
their imagination. It is known by experience,
that fobcr perfons, ' and thofe efp'ecially who
drink water, (leep quietly, their Reep being nei-
ther too flight nor too heavy. It appears, from
the fecond chapter of the Life of Jpsllonius,
written by PhilojlratuSi that at Athens thofe who
were afflidted with bad dreams applied to the
priefts of the falfe deities, in order to be rid of
them i they ordered them to abftain from wine
for three or four days ; this cleared their imagi-r
nation, and produced a cure, which they attri-
buted to their gods.

If, after taking too much food, you are hea-
vy, and your members fatigued, fo that too
great an abundance of nutritive juice occafions
a pleniLude in the whole body, and makes you
tired •, I believe that, in imitation of the Indians,
fweating is an infallible remedy, when the natu-
ral hear is affifted with an exterior one ; this re-
medy is infallible, provided it be applied at the
firit appearance of tlie diilemper •, the Europeans,
in order to perfpire well, get between two blan-
kets, and remain there covered up, the face
excepted •, they do not get up till they have

fweated

fc ^

L O U I S I A N

¥>i

fweated well, and about an hour after the whole
perfpiration is performed. If this method of
fweating is continued during feme days, you
find yourfelf fo much eafed, that your ftrength
and appetite retarn, and you are furprifed to fee
yourfelf fo light and fo nimble^ for by the per-
Ipiration all the vifcera are perfeftly cleared of
all their fuperfluities, without pain or any vio-
lence done to nature, which the ordinary medi-
cines cannot do. In order to be healthy, this
ought to be done thrice in the year. 4. in
fpring, autumn, and in winter.

My condufion is, that diet, perfpiration, and
fweating compofe an univerfal medicine.

in 1x^1^°'^ ^f^' '/■" """^ *""W direa us
?n all things; from her we muft karn the true

means of preferving health, which Iheorteu!
to do upon pain of the gre.-.teft evils, and even
of dea^h. I have already told you that Ihe
frequent exercifes of the Indian. :^ North AmcH

a^lll ^'^Tt"^' ''^"^'"S '' "^^U' ''""ting
filhing and fighting, increafe their natural he!

their bodies by perfpiration. Why do the pe,-

fants

.4a6 travels through

fants live long, and are healthy, Avithout the
Afliftance of phyficians ! The perpetual labour
they are employed in keeps them fo -, exercife
(prevents their knowing the gout, gravel, and
*ther infirmities, to which the richer people in
Europe are fubjedt, on account of the refined
tafte of their tables, and becaufe they make no
more ufe of their legs than old infirm men. I
have known fome, who, like Moliere's Malade
maginairey filled tlieir ftomach with as many
drugs as an apothecary's fliop.

It has been obferved, in the hot countries of
America^ that the young Europeans die fooner
there than the old onesi becaufe the former
imprudently cat all forts of fruit, which caufe
them a dyfentery j therefore it is neceflary to
cit very little of them, till the body is accuftom-
<sd to the climate, after which, at the expira- •
tion of a year, this will caufe no further incon-
veniencies.

By obferving thcfe precautions, I will war-
rant, that people will live longer in this part of
the world than in the old one. There arc
now many people alive in Louiftana^ who have
been there 'tfvcr fincc its firft fettlement. I faw

a planter

L O U I S I A N

407

a planter called Gr<^eUm, aged one hundi^d
and e,ghteen years, who catne hither with M.
^ W.. m .698; he ferved in Canada a. a
foldier for about thirty years.i in the reign w
i«e»j the Fourteenth.

I am, SIR, &c.'

End of tht First "Voivml