LOUISIANA. 



lOI 



" friends -, and do not return till you are flained 

 " 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 •, 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 afTembly, 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 repad they fing and 

 H 3 dance 



*^ The Indians are ufed to pluck the ikins from their ene- 

 mies heads whom they kill in battle ; they count the num- 

 ber of the fiain by thefe fcalps, which they bring home like 

 trophies on poles. We generally give them, in g oods, for 

 the King's account, the value of ten crowns (ecus) for each 

 f^alp of our enemies. 



