220 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill. 43 



the next disturbance the three villages in question are not mentioned, 

 hhune being laid by the Tattooed-serpent on the small nation of Tioux. 



Eunning through the history of this entire period, from 1713 to 

 1729, we thus see two influences at work among the Natchez, a friendly 

 attitude, at least grounded on policy, on the part of the people of the 

 Grand village and the Flour village, including the supreme chiefs of 

 the nation, and a hostile position maintained by the people of White 

 Apple, The Hickories, and the Grigras and fostered more or less by 

 English traders. There is no doubt, as Du Pratz intimates, that the 

 devastation of their towns by the French was never forgotten by 

 these latter, but more than all the exaction of the life of Old-hair 

 must have rankled in their minds. Bienville, in spite of his long 

 acquaintance with Indians, appears to have had for his motto re- 

 pression rather than conciliation, and while this policy worked very 

 well in dealing with the smaller tribes, such as the Chitimacha, with 

 the Natchez and Chickasaw, numerous and proud people sensitive to 

 insults, it was another matter. It was particularly poor policy on 

 his part to insist on exacting the life of a principal Sun such as Old- 

 hair, a man who, by the constitution of the Natchez nation itself, 

 was immune from being put to death — especially when we consider 

 that no Frenchman of prominence had died as a direct result of the 

 outbreak. If, as Du Pratz claims, there was no adequate reason for his 

 attack on the Natchez towns, Bienville's action was not only unwise 

 but constituted a political blunder of the first magnitude. There is 

 no question regarding his bravery, energy, or loyalty, and his ability 

 to handle a difficult situation with success had been demonstrated in 

 the first Natchez war, but like Perrier after him his aim was to con- 

 trol by fear, and in pursuing it he stirred up one of the most deeply 

 seated passions of the American Indian, blood- vengeance, and drew 

 it down upon numbers of his French compatriots. Nor do his cam- 

 paigns against the Chickasaw show generalship of a very high order, 

 at least when Indians were the objects of attack. Perhaps, like his 

 brother Iberville, he was naturally more of a sailor than a soldier. 

 Be this as it may, there can be little doubt that his drastic measures 

 during the third Natchez war in some measure paved the way for 

 the great uprising of 1729. 



A great obstacle to this uprising was removed in the death of the 

 Tattooed-serpent in 1725 " and his brother, the great Sun, three years 

 later.'' The former was head war chief of the nation, and such was 

 the confidence and love of his brother that he was given practical 

 control over the entire people and by some Frenchmen was supposed 

 to be actually the head chief. Whether from real friendship or fiom 

 policy these two were firm friends of the French, and the media 



"See pp. 144-1.'57. " Du Pratz, Hist, do La Louisiano, iii, 242, note. 



