236 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [uhll. 48 



and Tonikas; and soon, as I have said, of the Natchitoches, and they all gave 

 striliing proofs of it in the course of this war. On the other hand, the Natchez 

 seemed to behold without alarm the storm gathering against them. They did 

 not at first despair of winning over the Tonikas, and on the 9th of December 

 sent to them the Tioux, a little tribe long domiciliated among them, to offer them 

 some of the plunder taken from the French, in order to win them over to their 

 side. They did not succeed in this, but killed two straggling Frenchmen whom 

 they found. 



On the 10th the Sieur le Merveilleux entered that bay with his detachment 

 and some Frenchmen who had joined him. He intrenched for fear of surprise. 

 The following days all the troops arrived, and on the 18th the Chevalier de 

 Loubois entered it with 25 additional soldiers. He found the whole army en- 

 camped, well intrenched, and in good condition. He had two days previously 

 detached the Sieur Mexplex « with 5 men to obtain tidings of the enemy, and, 

 the better to ascertain their strength, he had ordered him to throw out some 

 proposals of peace.^ 



The party proceeded up the river in a pirogue, hinded, and 

 marched to the concession of White Earth within half a lea^^ue of 

 the Grand village. Proceeding on from this point, they soon found 

 themselves surrounded by enemies and sought refuge in a ravine. 

 Here they defended themselves for some time until one of their 

 number, the Navarre above referred to,'^ Avho had improved his time 

 by heaping insults on the enemy in their own language, was killed 

 and the Sieur Mexplex wounded. The remainder surrendered and 

 were taken before the great chief. One of the white prisoners, 

 Madame Desnoyers, was then brought in, and the chief dictated 

 terms of peace to her which he afterward gave to one of the soldiers 

 to deliver to Loubois. Madame Desnoyers, however, took the oppor- 

 tunity to represent to the commander the unfortunate state of her- 

 self and her companions.'^ According to Le Petit " they demanded 

 as hostages the Sieur Broutin [or Brontin], who had formerly been 

 commandant among them, and the chief of the Tonikas. Besides, 

 they demanded as the ransom for the women, children, and slaves, 

 200 guns, 200 barrels of powder. 200 barrels of balls, 2,000 gunflints, 

 200 knives, 200 hatchets, 200 pickaxes, 20 quarts of brandy, 20 casks 

 of wine, 20 barrels of vermilion, 200 shirts, 20 pieces of Lhnbourg^ 20 

 pieces of cloth, 20 coats with lace on the seams, 20 hats bordered 

 with plumes, and 100 coats of a plainer kind." <" 



Charlevoix declares that it was afterward discovered they had 

 intended, if these things were sent, to butcher the French who 

 brought the ransom and then sell their prisoners to the English.^ 



" This was probably the Sieur Mesplet referred to on p. 212. These six men volunteered 

 for the service. — Dumont, M6m. Hist, sur La Louisianc, ii^ 173. 



'' Shea's Charlevoix, Hist. Loui.siana, vi, 92-9.5. 



'^ P. 228. 



''Dumont, M4m. Hist, sur La Louisiano, ii, 17;?-175 ; Du Pratz, Hist, de La LDUisiiino, 

 III, 260-271, 274-279. Charlevoix is ovidontly in error in saying that three of the party 

 were killed and the others made prisoners immediately on landing. 



« Le Petit, Jes. Rel., lxviii, 190-101. 



t Charlevoix, Hist. Louisiana, vi, 95-96. 



