214 BUREAU OF AMERTCAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



to conquor or die. A( this news tlit> ai'iiiy doubk'd slei>, and the chief of the 

 Tonikas phieed himself at the head, inarching straight toward the enemy. 

 Some time hiter they perceived a strongly built cabin on a height; they did 

 not at all doubt that tliis was the place where the savages were to be found. 

 Immediately the drums beat, the fifes played, the army formed in battalion 

 squares and advanced toward tlie cabin. The chief of the Tonikas, who was 

 at the head, arrived first on the height ; he approached the cabin, examinetl 

 it, and found no one there. The savages had abandoned it, and had done the 

 same with so much precipitation that they had left some guns, balls, and horns 

 full of powder. The chief of the Tonikas encircling the height, perceived below 

 a minor chief of the enemy called the Little Sun. We should rather say. seeing 

 each other at the same time, to aim and fire was almost the same thing. The 

 chief of the Tonikas threw down his enemy dead on the spot, and fell himself 

 dangerously wounded. The ball with which he was struck had entered his 

 mouth, pierced the cheek, from there had gone into the breech of his gun, and 

 sliding along the entire length of it, had broken his shoulder blade. 



The savages seeing him fall, and thinking that he had been killed, uttered 

 cries and frightful howls, but some Frenchmen having approached, found that 

 he yet breathed. They raised him, laid him on a stretcher, and, having placed 

 him in the midst of the army, they resumed the road to St. Catherine. But 

 night coming on, they were obliged to camp in a prairie, where each one 

 lighted a fire to^warm himself, for there was neither tents nor covering, they 

 had not even brought provisions. Toward midnight the savages began to make 

 some discharges with their guns loaded with powder, which they are generally 

 in the habit of doing when they are near the enemy, to let them know that they 

 are on their guard. T'nfortunately the company of White Earth which was com- 

 manded by the Sieur de Liette had no knowledge of this usage of the savages; 

 they thought that this was a surprise of the enemy who were coming to attack 

 the army, placed themselves under arms, and marched in the direction whence 

 the firing was heard, when the commandant, informed of this mistake, sent 

 thither an aid-de-camp to make them return to their quarters. At daybreak on 

 the following day the army placed itself in line of march, and arrived at 9 o'clock 

 in the morning at the concession of St. Catherine, where a strong detachment was 

 left to iilace this settlement beyond the insults of the savages. The remainder of 

 the trooi)S retired to Fort Rosalie, where the company of the Sieur de IJette was 

 dismissed and returned to White Earth. The commandant now thought of put- 

 ting an end to this war, but he did not wish to terminate it without having it 

 cost the savages, not fowls, as had happened the first time, but blood worthy 

 of being shed. With this intention he sent to tell the Tattooed-serpent to come 

 to speak to him, and that one having immediately repaired to him, he told 

 him that he was going to withdraw the word he had given him not to fall on 

 the Grand Village and on that of the Flour, since he had learned that he was 

 giving a retreat to his enemies. To this speech the great chief, who was 

 really a friend of the French, made no other reply than to ask for peace. 

 "I will grant it to you," rejilied the general, "but see at what price. You 

 know that among your people there is a negro who formerly belonged to the 

 French; bring me his head with lliat of Old-hair, chief of the village of the 

 Apple, and promise me that yon will always regard the French as your friends 

 and brothers; on these two conditions I will give you peace." This negro, 

 whose head was demanded, was a free black, who instead of I'stablishing him- 

 self with the French in the lands which belonged to them, had passed over 

 among the savages where he had even niM(l(> himself chief of a party. It was 

 justly feared that he would teach them the manner of attack and defense, and 



