;92 TRAVELS THROUGH 



The Akanzas live on the banks of a river that 

 bears their name -, it arifcs in New Mexico^ and 

 falls into the MiJJifippi. Thefe Indians are tall, 

 well made, brave, good fwim.tners, very expert 

 in hunting and fifhing, and trurely devoted to 

 the French, of which they hav - given marks on 

 feveral occafions. 



I fpoke, in my preceding letter, of an old 

 man of this nation, who faid he had feen M. de 

 la Salle. This good Indian added, that from 

 that tim.e he conceived a very great efteem 

 for the French ; that they v/ere the firll na- 

 tion of white men he had {t^n^ and fince 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 requefl: in 

 reality thefe people never would have any thing 

 to do with the conjuration of the general maf- 

 facre of the F'rench colony at the Natches, I 

 muft do thefe good Indians that juflice •, they 

 are always at war with the Tchicachas (Chick- 

 faws) who gave the Natches 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, 



