SWASTONi INDIAN TlMliKS OF IIIK I.OWKR MISSISSIPPI VALLHV 247 



third iicrsnii in the luilioii. mikI u'mvc liiiii iiiisululc |Mi\v(>r over nil whom be 

 couiiuaiidod. 



Ill till' ovcniiitr Mr. Pcnicr went to soo tli(> Sun, nnd doclarcd to him tiiat be 

 must send orders to all his siil).ie<-ts to come forth from the fort unarmed, with 

 tbeir wives and cbildivn; (bat be would spare their livas and prevent tbe 

 Indians from illtreating tbem. He obeyed and at once sent orders by the 

 Natcho who bad come to boar the messaiie I have mentioned; but all refused 

 to submit. Tbe wife of tbe liead chief came to him the same day, witli bis 

 brother and some others of his family, and I'errier }in\e her a hearty welcome, 

 in consideration of tbe kindness she had shown tbe French women durinji their 

 captivity. Tliey were anxious to have tbe woman chief," who liad even more 

 inlluence in tlie nation than tbe Sun himself. The wife of tbe chief went 

 repeatedly to the fort to induce her to come out. but her exhortations were 

 uuavailing. About 35 meu and 200 women surrendered toward 2 o'clocli in 

 tbe afternoon ; tbe rest were told that unless they did tbe same at once, the 

 cannonade would begin, and that as soon as it opened there should be no mercy 

 for anyone. Tliey replied that we might fire when we chose: that they did not 

 fear death. Yet it is certain that there were only 70 warriors'* at most remain- 

 ing in the foi't; that they bad not a single chief, and that most of tbem kept 

 themselves shut up from tbe fear of falling into the bands of tbe Indians if 

 they attempted to escape separately, or of being perceived by the besiegers if 

 they all escaped in a body. 



They were not, liowever, cannonaded : moreover, tbe weather was fearful, 

 tbe rain having been incessant for three days; tbe besieged trusted that the 

 French would be less careful in watching tbe passes, and they were not mis- 

 taken. About S o'clock at night Mr. De Benac sent word to Mr. Perrier that 

 they were escaping. Tbe trenches and all the posts at once were ordered to 

 fire, but tbe fugitives passed unperceived along a bayou or little river, which 

 ran between tbe quarter of the militia and that of the Baron de Cresnay ; and 

 before it was known and we entered the fort they were already far off with 

 their wives and children. Only one woman was found, who had been just 

 delivered of a child, and one man in the act of escaping.'^ ^ 



Tbe next day, tbe 2()tb, we endeavored to induce tlie Indians to pursue these 

 fugitives, but they refused, saying that as they had escaped by our fault it was 

 our business to pursue tbem ; '' so that having no longer any enemies to tight, 

 our troops had to think of returning. The same day all the prisoners were 

 bound ; the Sun, bis brother, brother-in-law. Saint Come, and all of that family 

 were put on board tbe Saint Louis. Forty warriors were put in the demigalley 

 commanded by Le Sueur. The women and children, numbering in all 387 

 persons,'' were distributed among tbe other vessels. Tbe whole army embarked 

 on tbe 27th, and on tbe 5th of February reached New Orleans.^ 



Thus ended an expedition which our popular histories still repre- 

 sent as having entirely destroyed the Natchez nation. There is no 



" The mother of the heir apparent. ^ 



^ Perrier claimed that only 16 men and 4 women escaped, but Gayarre says " other 

 accounts inform us that the number of warriors who thus baffled him and slipped from his 

 grasp exceeded 150." 



"^Gayarre says: "Only 2 sick men and 1 woman were found in the fort." — Hist. Loui- 

 siana, I, 447. 



" Gayarre, however, states that the Indian allies did pursue the fugitives, kill 1, and 

 capture 2, "whom they burned at the stake (in the frame?)." 



'Gayarre gives the number of captured as 45 men and 450 wo len and children. — 

 Hist. Louisiana, i, 447. 



f Shea's Charlevoix, Hist. Louisiana, vi, 107-114. Gayarre adds that they demolished 

 the fort and burnt all the enemy's materials. — Hist. Louisiana, i, 448. 



