44 Bringier on the Region of the Mississippi, ^c. 



American scalps, which many times he delivered without 

 counting; for he had never penetrated into any houses, 

 without finding children more than he needed for the pres- 

 ent. 



This was during the Indian war it is true, but who would 

 not revolt at hearing a monster in human shape, boast of 

 having slaughtered seventy or eighty harmless women and 

 children, to redeem himself from punishment for the mur- 

 der of his companions. I could not restrain myself from 

 telling him, that his boasting of such atrocious deeds had 

 torn off the mask which hid the blackness of his souL. 

 (They make use of wooden masks in their dances.) 



Yellow Wood, resembling Fustic. 



I have omitted to mention, that on the Arkansas and on 

 Red river, we have a great quantity of a yellow wood an- 

 swering perfectly well the same purpose as the fustic. It is 

 called bois dUirc by the French hunters, (bo\v-wood,) but it 

 is absolutely a non-descript. It is hke the fustic of the mo- 

 rus genus, with some modifications.* The wood is as tough 

 as whale bone. The Indians made, and still make, all their 

 bows of the wood of that tree. 



We^ have likewise the tree which gives the vegetable 

 caoutchouc or elastic gum. This tree is the same that 

 they have in Peru, which they call Higera del oule ; the 

 bark of this tree being pounded and washed, gives one-third 

 of its weight of oule, or caoutchouc. The tree does not 

 grow of the largest size; it has a tolerably smooth bark; 

 when this is cut, milk exudes, which coagulates and forms 

 elastic gum. It has the strong smell of the common ca- 

 outchouc; the leaves of the tree resemble those of the 

 pin oak ; it bears a black olive, a httle smaller than the com- 

 mon olive; it is sweet and good to eat, the birds and the 

 bears being fond of it. The French hunters on the Arkan- 

 sas, call it arbre a gomme; it is easily known by chewing a 

 piece of the bark — the gum remains in the mouth ; or 

 if a piece of the decayed bark is washed until the rotten 

 ligneous substance is gone, the remainder is pure. Some 

 Americans, to whom I have made it known, on the Arkan- 



^ I cannot find the ilescription I harl taken of the tree. 



