198 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



Ills people were very much wearied with the voy;ige and as he had sick people, 

 he was jioing to encamp *in an island a third of a leajjue from tlieir village in 

 order to rest for some time; but that it would give him pleasure to have them 

 send some one of their people during this time to inform the Natchez of his 

 arrival. This was accomplished at once.'* The Sieur de Bienville, after having 

 received the calumet of the Tonikas and made them smoke in his, went with his 

 little troop to camp on the island, where he made them woi-k from the next day, 

 the 24th, on a little intrenchment surrounded with palings, and in constructing 

 three sheds — one for the provisions and munitions of war, another as a guard- 

 house, and a third for a prison. 



The 27th of April three Natchez arrived,'' sent l>y their chiefs to M. de 

 Bienville, to whom they presented the calumet, which he rejected, saying to 

 them that they might make some of his soldiers smoke, but as for himself, 

 being a great chief of the French, he would smoke only when calumets were 

 presented by the chief Suns. This disconcerted the three warriors a little. 

 However, M. de Bienville, having had food given to them, pretended to laugh 

 with them, asked particular news of their chiefs, and exhibited an eagerness 

 to see them and astonishment that they hatl not already come to bring him 

 refreshments. He added that the Natchez apparently did not desire that the 

 Fi'ench should make an establishment among them ; that if he thought that 

 was the case he would make it among the Tonikas. They replied with marked 

 satisfaction that all of their nation desired nothing better than to have a 

 French establishment in their territory and that they were pursuaded that in 

 five or six days the chiefs of the nation would not fail to come to show their 

 pleasure. 



The 2Sth of April these three savages returned home. M. de Bienville had 

 go with them a young Frenchman who spoke their language perfectly, to whom 

 he explained all that it was necessary to say to these chiefs and all that he 

 was to reply to them to induce them to come. 



This same day M. de Bienville dispatched one of the hardiest .and most 

 skillful Canadians in a little dugout, with an Illinois savage, to ascend the 

 river, pass in front of the Natchez villages during the night, and go above to 

 warn the 1.5 residents of the Illinois country, who intended to descend, to dis- 

 trust the Natchez, and especially not to disembark among them. ^l. de Bien- 

 ville sent with this Canadian a dozen large sheets of parchment to place at 

 various points along the river. He had written on these in large characters: 

 "The Natchez have declared war on the French and M. de Bienville is en- 

 camped among the Tonikas." 



May 4 six Canadian travelers {voyagciirs) arrived at our camp in three 

 dugouts loaded with pelts, smoked meats, and bear's oil, who related to us 

 that, not knowing that the Natchez had killed their comrades, they had landed 

 among them, and that scarcely had they set foot to earth when 20 men jumped 

 upon them, disarmed them, and carried off all that they had in their dugouts. 

 They were led to the village of the chief named "The Bearded," grand war 

 chief of this nation, who, as soon as he saw them, demanded how many other 

 Frenchmen were coming down after them; that they had replied frankly that 

 they had left 12 hunting in six dugouts and that they would not be slow in 

 arriving; and that shoi-tly afterwai'd the great chiefs of this nation had come 

 in great anger to complain to this war chief because he had disarmed the 

 Frenchmen and pillaged their canoes ; that immediately these great chiefs had 



" Pf^nicaut in Margry, D«5couvertos, v, .521, states that M. de Tissen^ was sent to the 

 Natchez with L'O mon by I?ipnvilh' 1o speak to their chief and invite them to descend. 

 '' I'cnlcaut says nothing of this first visit. 



