SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MTSSTSSTPPI VALLEY 339 



M. de Bienville received a letter from M. Dulniissoii, who commanded, it will 

 be remembered, the concession of M. Paris, established in the old village of the 

 Bayagoulas on the banks of the Mississippy. Through this letter he informed 

 him he was not at all in security in his concession, so long as the French should 

 be at war against the nation of saviiges called Chetimaclias, parties of whom 

 were every day in the neighborhood of his concession. However short a dis- 

 tance his people went away they were always exposed to being captured or 

 killed, as had already happened to two of the sergeants; they were obliged to 

 have :irms in their hands night and day, which prevented them from being 

 able to work their concession. On receiving this information, M. de Bienville 

 sent me alone among the Chetimaclias to speak to their chief and induce him to 

 make peace with the French. Although this conmiission appeared to me very 

 perilous I did not hesitate to understake it, because I spoke their language fairly 

 well" aud knew some of these savages. I formed the design of going, not 

 directly to the village of the Chetimachas, but to the village of the Oumas, 

 where I hoped to meet some Chetimacha savages, who come there quite often 

 because those are their nearest neighbors. I was not at all deceived in my 

 expectation; I found three tliere to whom I spoke. I told them that I had 

 orders from M. de Bienville to go to find their chief in order to have them make 

 peace with the French. These three savages were very nmch rejoiced at learn- 

 ing this news, because so long as they had been at war with us they had had 

 the savages who were the friends of tlie French as enemies, who were active 

 against them every day by order of M. de Bienville and had killed many of 

 their people. For this reason the three savages did not hesitate to follow me 

 when I told them to come with me as far as the concession of M. Paris, which 

 was only 7 leagues from there. When we were arrived there M. Dubuisson 

 gave them some little presents to carry to their chiefs, with provisions for their 

 journey. I invited them to return in ten days at the latest, giving them ten 

 bits of wood, which are the marks by means of which th6 savages count by 

 nights, just as we count by days. They did not fail to return at the end of ten 

 days, but they remained on the bank of their river,^ which is 5 leagues from the 

 concession of 'Si. Paris. The three savages whom I had sent came alone to the 

 concession to inform me that the grand chief with liis wife and 40 Chetimachas 

 were awaiting me at this place in order to speak with me. I hesitated a little 

 about going there. It was running a risk. However, I took my detei'mination, 

 not seeing anyone who would go with me. I started out with the three savages. 

 As soon as I arrived at the bank of the river and they pei'ceived me, they 

 uttered a frightful cry. I thought then that I had been betrayed and that it 

 was the last day of my life, but this strange cry was only a cry of joy, for the 

 grand chief received me very well and told me that it would give him and all 

 his nation gi-eat pleasure to make peace with the French. I told him that in 

 order to do that they must come to New Orleans to sing the peace calumet to 

 M. de Bienville, our commander. They told me that they would follow me 

 wherever I desired to lead them. I conducted them first to the concession of M. 

 Paris, where jM. Dubuisson gave them pi-ovisions, and after they had passed 

 the night tliere, we parted on the morrow at daybreak to descend to New 

 Orleans, where they remained eight days because it was necessary to await the 

 reply of M. de Bienville, who commanded M. de Pailloux to liave them sing 

 their peace calumet and conclude it on the following conditions: 



Firstly, that the slaves which had been taken from them during the war 

 ghould not be restored to them, and that they should return all the French 

 wiiom they might have taken or who might be in their villages. 



" Meaning Mobilian, probably, " Bayou la Fourche. 



