LOUISIANA. 



201 



an alliance with them •, that, if they compelled 

 him^ he would burn the water in their lakes and 

 rivers, to hinder them from failing, and fet fire 

 to their forefts i he got a little pot, and put 

 fome brandy in it, and fet it on fire with a 

 match ; the Indians, who were not yet acquaint- 

 ed with brandy, were amazed j at the fame 

 time he too-k out of his pocket a convex glafi, 

 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 ; they careffed him, loaded him with pre^ 

 fents, and fent him home well efcorted, that no 

 one might do him any harm. Since that timo 

 M. ds Bienville has made ufe of M. du Tijfenet in 

 feveral negociations towards making alliances 

 livith the Indians, 



M. du ^ijfenet^s adventure puts me in mind of 

 that of an Italian, who was in the fuite of M. 

 Tonty^ the then governor of Fort Lms among 

 the Illinois. 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 

 MiJJifipft^ if he could have been with him in 

 time -, he likewife faved his life by a fmgular 

 ftratag^m, Some Indians being willing to kill 



him. 



