260 BUEEAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 43 



astrolabe, found liinisolf in 31°, which made him believe wo were in tiie river 

 Abscoudido, as he found to be true afterward. 1 returned then to the viUage 

 witli our interpreters, and, having given a bracelet to the chief, he made me a 

 present of these pearls, which were tarnished, because they pierce them with 

 red-hot iron. They were as large as peas. I gave them to M. de la Salle. 

 I'our of our savages, as well as our intenpreters, did not wish to pass beyond, for 

 fear of the nations they might find, for it must be noted that all the villages 

 which are situated on the left of the river make war on those on the right. 

 That did not prevent us from parting the 25th and camping on an island 10 

 leagues off. 



I have forgotten to tell you that the Taensas have a divinity, because we saw 

 a temple opposite the cabin of the chief, in whicli there was a kind of altar, 

 and on top three eagles, which look toward the rising sun. This temple is 

 inclosed in a kind of redoubt, where they put upon the wall the heads of their 

 enemies who they have killed in war. They keep watch there day and night. 

 This fort is not at all regular, but is very well flanked at each angle; there are 

 sentry boxes of hard wood." 



In his memoir he tells of. this as follows: 



When we arrived opposite to the village of the Taensas M. de la Salle 

 desired me to go to it and inform the chief of his arrival. I went with our 

 guides, and we had to carry a bark canoe for 10 arpens, and to launch it on 

 a small lake in which their village was placed. I was surprised to find their 

 cabins made of mud and covered with cane mats. The cabin of the chief was 

 40 feet square, the wall 10 feet high, a foot thick, and the roof, which was of 

 a dome shape, about 15 feet high. I was not less surprised when, on entering, 

 I saw the chief seated on a camp bed, with three of his wives at his side, 

 surrounded by more than 60 old men, clothed in large white cloaks, which are 

 made by the women out of the bark of the mulberry tree, and are tolerably 

 well worked. The women are clothed in the same manner ; and every time the 

 chief spoke to them, before answering him they howled and cried out several 

 limes " O-o-o-o-o-o ! " to show their respect for him, for their chiefs are held 

 in as' much consideration as our kings. No one drinks out of the chiefs cup 

 nor eats out of his plate, and no one passes before him. When he walks they 

 clean the path before him. When he dies they sacrifice his youngest wife, his 

 house steward {tnaitrc dliotcl), and a hundred men to accompany liim into the 

 other world. They have a form of worship and adore the sun. There is a 

 temple opposite the house of the chief, and similar to it, ext-ept that three 

 eagles are placed on this temple, who look toward the rising sun. The temple 

 is surrounded with strong mud walls, in which are fixed spikes, on which they 

 place the heads of their enemies whom they sacrifice to the sun. At the door 

 of the temple is a bhu-k of wood, on which is a great shell ( rii/not ). and iilaited 

 round with the hair of their enemies in a plait as thick as (he arm and about 

 20 fathoms (/o/.s-cs) long. The inside of the temple is naked; there is an altar 

 in the middle, and at the foot of the altar three logs of wood are placed on end. 

 and a fire is kept uj) day and night by two old priests (joni/Jciirs), who are the 

 directors (maitrcs) of tlicii" woi^hip. These old men showed uu' a small 

 cabinet within the wall, made of mats of cane. Desiring to see what was 

 inside, the old men prevented me, giving me to understand that their god was 

 there. But I have since learned that is the place where they keep their 

 treasure, such as fine pearls, which they fish up in the neighborhood, and 

 European merchandise. At the last quarter of the moon all the cabins make 



' Tonti's Narrative in Margry, Uecouvcrtes, i, G00-G02. 



