SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 147 



moved with the liveliest grief to soe himself taken liiis time without hope of 

 safety aud began to weep very bitterly. The favorite wife having perceived this, 

 said to hiui : "Are you not a warrior?" "Yes," said he, " I am one." "Never- 

 theless you w(M'p," she replied, "your life is then dear to you".' If it is so, 

 then it is not good that you come with us. Go away with the women." 



He replied, "Certainly life is dear to me. I have no. children. It is well 

 that I travel some time longer on the earth until the death of the great Sun 

 and die with him." "(Jo away, I tell you," said she, " it is not good that you 

 come with us aud that your heart remain behind you on the earth. Once 

 more, take yourself away from here, and let me see you no more." 



Ette-actal had brought a little sack In which were the small utensils necessary 

 for the ceremony, but without disturbing himself about them he left all, and, sat- 

 isfied to have still time t<i himself before the death of the great Sun, he took to 

 flight at the last word of the favorite and disappeared like a flash. But in the 

 afternoon three <tld women were brou.ght, two of whom were his relations, 

 who. being extremely aged and wearied of life, offex'ed themselves to pay his 

 debt. Although these two women were so old that for many years they had 

 totally lost the use of their limbs, their hair was no grayer than is commonly 

 that of women of 50 in France. They appeared, besides, to bear themselves well. 



Tlie generosity of these two women purchased the life of the warrior, Ette- 

 actal. and acipiired for him the rank of Honored man. His condition having 

 become much better and his life being thus assured, he became insolent, and 

 profiting by the instructions which he had received from the French, he made 

 use of it to dweive his countrymen." 



The third old woman that they had brought had not been able to use her legs 

 for at least fifteen years, without, however, experiencing any other difliculty in 

 any part of the body. Her face was calm and her hair entirely white, a thing 

 which I had never seen among the natives, and in spite of her great age, which 

 surpassed a century, her skin was not too much wrinkled. All of these three 

 old women were dispatched to the evening rehearsal, one to the door of the 

 Tattooed-seritent and the two otheis to the square. * * * 



The day of the funeral procession having arrived, we went to the house of the 

 great Sun. The favorite wife, who knew that we were there, came with her 

 company to bid us adieu. She had the Suns of both sexes and their children 

 called, to whom she then addressed these words: 



" It is very grievous that your father is dead. As for me, I am going with 

 him to the country of the si)irits, and he waits only for us in order to set out. 

 It is also well since he is dead that I am no longer able to walk on the earth. 

 For you who are young it is good that you walk a long time without design 

 [i. e., without duplicity] and with a straight heart. I leave you grain and my 

 coffers, the keys [ ?] of which I here give you. Do not speak any evil of the 

 French. Walk with them. Walk there as your father and I have walked, with- 

 out design. Speak of them as he and I have spoken. Do nothing contrary to the 

 friendship of the French. Never lie to them. They will give you food and the 

 other things of which you have need, and if they give you nothing, return with- 

 out murmuring. They were friends of your father, so love them all and never 

 refuse to see them even when they will not receive you well. 



" And yon French chiefs," she added, turning toward us, " always be friends 

 of the Natchez ; trade with them, do not be too stingy with your goods, and do 

 not repel what they bring you, but treat them with gentleness." Then having 

 observed that one of our party was aft'ected to tears by the spectacle, she said to 

 him : " Do not weep. I know that my husband aud I were great friends of the 



" This man is again referred to at length by Bossu, his authority evidently being 

 Du Pratz. 



