NO. 5 DRAWINGS BY A. DeBATZ IN LOUISIANA BUSHNELL 



BUFFALO TAMER, CHIEF OF THE TUNICA. 1732 



The spring of 1731 found the Natchez scattered and wandering 

 as a result of the destruction of their villages during the wars of the 

 preceding years. Soon they appealed to the French for a pardon, and 

 asked that they might settle near the Tunica ; permission was granted 

 them to erect a village not less than two leagues from that of the 

 Tunica, but they were to come unarmed. Later a large number of 

 Natchez arrived at the Tunica village where they were received and 

 given food, and Charlevoix related how the Tunica and their new 

 guests " danced till after midnight, after which the Tonica retired to 

 their cabins, thinking that of course the Natchez would also go to 

 rest. But soon after — that is to say, one hour before day, for it was 

 the 14th day of June [1731] — the Natchez .... fell upon all the 

 cabins and slaughtered all whom they surprised asleep. The head chief 

 ran up at the noise and first killed four Natchez ; but, overborne by 

 numbers, he was slain with some twelve of his warriors. His war 

 chief, undismayed by this loss or the flight of most of his braves, 

 rallied a dozen, with whom he regained the head chief's cabin ; he 

 even succeeded in recalling the rest, and after fighting for five days 

 and nights almost without intermission remained master of his vil- 

 lage." The name of the Tunica chief killed in this encounter and 

 whose wife and child escaped was Cahura-Joligo, and evidently Bride- 

 les Boeuf, or Buffalo Tamer, was his successor. Buffalo Tamer may 

 have been the war chief mentioned by Charlevoix. 



