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Fe, and over the mountains, to the waters of the 

 western ocean. They say, they have seen big 

 peroques, with masts, which they describe by 

 drawing a ship and the sails and rigging. Their 

 language sounds different from that of any other 

 nation, and none can either speak or understand 

 it ; but they have a language by signs, whch can 

 be understood by all Indians } and which they 

 use much in conversing among themselves. They 

 are generally at war with the Spaniards, and often 

 commit depredations on the inhabitants of Saint 

 a Fe, and Saint Antoine ; but have always been 

 friendly to the French or Americans, who have 

 been among them. They have a number of 

 Spanish men and women among them ; who are 

 slaves, and who were made prisoners when they 

 were young. 



The following story is related by an elderly 

 gentleman, living at Natchitoches, who formerly 

 carried on a trade with this nation. A number 

 of years ago, a party of these Indians passed over 

 the River Grand, to Chewawa, the residence of 

 the governor-general of what is called the five 

 internal provinces ; lay in ambush for an oppor- 

 tunity, and made a prisoner of the governor's 

 daughter, a young lady, as she was going in her 

 coach to mass, and brought her off. The gover- 

 nor sent a message to this gentleman, with a 

 thousand dollars, for the purpose of recovering 

 his daughter : he immediately dispatched a con- 

 fidential trader, then in his employ, with iher 



