126 ANTIQUITIES IN TENNESSEE. 



more to their destruction, tliaii long and bloody wars would have done. As 

 tlieir rulers were despotic, they had, for a long time past, established the following 

 inhuman and impolitic custom, that, when any of them died, a great number of 

 their subjects were likewise killed; and the people, on the other hand, had 

 imbibed the belief, that all those Avho followed their princes into the other world 

 to serve them there, would be eternally happy. It is easy to conceive how ruinous 

 such an inhuman custom would be among a nation who had so many princes as 

 the Natchez." ^ 



The traditions of the Natchez bear marks of probability which have been con- 

 firmed by discoveries made near the Gulf of California and on the rivers Gila and 

 Yaquasila. 



Du Pratz, who gathered his information from the keeper of the temple and 

 from the Great Sun, states that the Natchez held the tradition that they came 

 from a pleasant country and mild climate, " under the sun," and in the southwest 

 (Mexico'?), where the nation had lived for many ages, and had spread over an 

 extensive country of mountains, hills, and plains, in the latter of which the cities 

 were built of stone, and the houses were several stories in height. "We lived," said 

 the keeper, " in a fine country where the earth is always pleasant ; there our suns had 

 their abode, and our nation maintained itself for a long time against the ancients of the 

 country, who conquered some of our villages in the plains, but never could force us 

 from the mountains. Our nation extended itself along the great water, where this 

 large river (Mississippi?) loses itself; but as our enemies had become very nu- 

 merous and very wicked, our suns sent some of their subjects, who lived near this 

 river, to examine whether we could retire into the country through which it 

 flowed. The country on the east side of the river being found extremely pleas- 

 ant, the Great Sun, upon the return of those who had examined it, ordered all his 

 subjects who lived in the plains, and who still defended themselves against the 

 ancients of the country, to remove into this land, here to build a temple, and to 

 preserve the eternal fire. A great part of our nation, accordingly, settled here, 

 where they lived in peace, and abundance for several generations. The Great 

 Sun, and those who had remained with him, never thought of joining us, being 

 tempted to continue where they were, by the pleasantness of the country, which 

 was very warm, and by the weakness of their enemies, who had fallen into civil 

 dissension. . . During these discords among our enemies, some of them even 

 entered into an alliance with the Great Sun, who still remained in our old country, 

 that he might conveniently assist our other brethren, who had settled on the 

 banks of the great water, to the east of the large river, and extended themselves 

 so far on the coast, and among the isles, that the Great Sun did not hear of them 

 sometimes for five or six years together. 



" It was not till after many generations that the Great Suns came and joined us 

 in this country, when, from the fine climate and the peace we had enjoyed, we had 

 multiplied like the leaves of the trees. Warriors of fire, who made the earth to 

 tremble, had arrived in our old country, and, entering into alliance with our breth- 



' History of Louisiana, vol. ii, p. 146. 



