﻿36 
  HISTORICAL 
  OUTLINE. 
  

  

  rudely 
  demanded, 
  with 
  a 
  threat 
  to 
  seize 
  it 
  by 
  force 
  if 
  not 
  

   voluntarily 
  yielded 
  before 
  a 
  stated 
  period, 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  

   remote. 
  

  

  The 
  Natchez 
  could 
  not 
  bring 
  themselves 
  to 
  submit 
  to 
  

   this 
  new 
  act 
  of 
  aggression. 
  But 
  their 
  remonstrances 
  

   were 
  unheard, 
  nor 
  was 
  the 
  offer 
  of 
  other 
  lands 
  as 
  an 
  

   equivalent 
  embraced. 
  They 
  were 
  constrained, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  to 
  feign 
  a 
  reluctant 
  acquiescence 
  in 
  the 
  demand. 
  

  

  The 
  suns 
  and 
  chieftains 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  villages 
  held 
  

   a 
  secret 
  council, 
  and, 
  resolving 
  against 
  submission, 
  de- 
  

   termined 
  themselves 
  to 
  become 
  the 
  principals, 
  instead 
  of 
  

   auxiliaries 
  in 
  the 
  conspiracy 
  against 
  the 
  French. 
  Ac- 
  

   cordingly, 
  they 
  set 
  to 
  work 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  co-operation 
  of 
  

   other 
  tribes 
  hostile 
  to 
  the 
  French, 
  and 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  

   whole 
  settlement. 
  

  

  The 
  necessary 
  messengers 
  were 
  dispatched, 
  each 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  wdth 
  a 
  bundle 
  of 
  sticks 
  of 
  equal 
  numbers, 
  one 
  of 
  

   which 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  withdrawn 
  daily, 
  to 
  insure 
  a 
  concert 
  of 
  

   action 
  between 
  the 
  allies, 
  the 
  attack 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  on 
  the 
  

   day 
  that 
  the 
  last 
  stick 
  was 
  removed. 
  

  

  This 
  conspiracy 
  was 
  designed 
  to 
  be 
  kept 
  a 
  profound 
  

   secret 
  among 
  the 
  chiefs, 
  and 
  especially 
  from 
  the 
  women, 
  

   some 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  well 
  affected 
  to 
  

   their 
  French 
  neighbors. 
  That 
  some 
  secret 
  and 
  moment- 
  

   ous 
  measure 
  was 
  on 
  foot 
  was 
  soon 
  divined 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   most 
  shrewd 
  and 
  observant 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  suns, 
  who, 
  se- 
  

   verely 
  upbraiding 
  her 
  son 
  in 
  private 
  for 
  his 
  want 
  of 
  con- 
  

   fidence 
  in 
  her, 
  artfully 
  drew 
  from 
  him 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  

   plot, 
  which 
  she 
  lost 
  no 
  time 
  in 
  imparting 
  to 
  an 
  officer 
  of 
  

   the 
  garrison 
  ; 
  but 
  her 
  warning 
  was 
  unheeded. 
  

  

  Chepar, 
  deluded 
  into 
  false 
  security 
  by 
  the 
  address 
  of 
  

   the 
  chiefs, 
  with 
  whom 
  he 
  was 
  even 
  engaged 
  in 
  drunken 
  

   revels 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  eve 
  of 
  his 
  destruction, 
  would 
  listen 
  

   to 
  no 
  caution, 
  or 
  credit 
  any 
  intimation 
  of 
  the 
  intended 
  

  

  