LOUISIANA. 297 



preferve their warriors, and never attack the ene- 

 my iinlefs they are lure of an eafy victory, either 

 on account of their numbers, or their advantage- 

 ous fituation ; but as their adverfaries are like- 

 wife cj;nning, and evade all the fnares that are 

 laid for them, it depends then upon fuperior 

 finefle-, therefore they hide themfclves in the 

 woods in day-time, and only walk at night •, if 

 they are not difcovered, they attack by break 

 of day. As they are generally in a woody coun- 

 try, he that goes firft fometimes carries a very 

 thick bulli before him, and as they all follow 

 each other in a file, the lafl hides the marks of 

 their fcQt^ by putting the leaves on the ground 

 on which they went in order again, fo as to 

 leave no veftiges that might betray them. 



The chief things by which they difcover their 

 enemies are the fmoke of their fires, which 

 they can fmell to a very great diftance, and their 

 tracks or footfleps, which they can diftinguifh 

 in an incredible manner. One day an Indian 

 ihewed me, in a place where I had {een nothing, 

 the footfteps of fome FrencJimen^ Indians^ and 

 Negroes^ and the time when they had gone that 

 way ; I own that this knowledge is amazing : it 

 may well be faid, that when the Indians apply 

 to any fingle thing, they excel in it. 



Their 



