WANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 69

on other trees. The one who has the fire lights one of these pieces of cane and
when it is burning well throws it like a dart into the hole of the bear. If he
does not succeed the first time he begins again until the bear is forced to come
out of his refuge. When there is enough tire in the trunk to light the rotten
wood within it the bear, who is not a lover of such a lively heat, comes out back-
ward and abandons his home to the ardor of the flames. Then the hunters, who
are all ready. shoot arrows at hin ais fast as possible, and with so much
promptness that lie is often killed before he has been able to reach the foot of
the trunk.
 This chase is very useful, for besides the flesh, which is very good and very
healthful, the skin andl the fat, front which oil is extracted, are of great us(,
much value being placed on them, for both are of daily use.
 As soon as the bear is in the power of the hunters some persons detach them-
selves to hunt deer, and never fail to bring back one or two.
 When they have a deer they begin by cutting off its head, then skin the neck,
rolling the skin as one would a stocking, iand cut up 111e flesh ald bones as fast
as they advance. This operation ca'n not fail to lie laborious because it is neces-
sary to take out all the llesh and the bones through the skin of the neck in order
to make a sack of this skin. They cut it as far as the hams and other places
where there are outlets. When the skin is entirely empty lhey scrape it and
clean it. Then they make a kind of cement will the fat of the same deer and
a few fine ashes. They put it around the oritices which they close very tightly
with the bark of the bass tree and leave only the neck through which to cask the
bear's oil. It is this which the French call a falon of oil. The natives put the
flesh and the fat to cook together so that they nmiy detach themselves from each
other. They do this cooking in earthen pots of their own manufacture, or in
kettles if they have them. When this grease or oil is lukewarm they put it into
the faon.
 They come to trade this kind of oil to the French for a gun or ell of cloth or
similar things. That was the price of a fico, of oil at the time I lived there.
But the French use it only after having purified it."

 This is the manner of hunting deer, as described by Dumont:

 When a savage has succeeded in killing a deer he first cuts off its head as
far down as the shoulders. Then he skins the neck without cutting the skin,
and, having removed the bones and the flesh from it, lie draws out all the
brains from the head. After this operation lie replaces the bones of the neck
very neatly and fixes them in place with the aid of a circle of wood and some
little sticks. Then lie re-covers llenm with their skin, and, having dried this
head partly in the shade and partly in the smoke, he thus has an entire deer's
head, which is very light, and which with its skin preserves also its hair, its
horns, and its ears. He carries it with him hung to his belt when he goes hunt-
ing, and as soon as he perceives a bison or a deer he passes his right hand into
the neck of this deer. with which he conceals his face, and begins to make the
same kind of movements as the living animal would make. He looks ahead,
then turns the head rapidly from one side to the other. He lowers it to browse
on the grass and raises it immediately afterward. In fact, always concealing
his face with this head, lie deceives the animal which he wishes to approach by
means of his gestures, and if during this time it happens that the animal stops
to observe him the savage, though he has his leg in the air to move forward,
stays it there, and has enough patience to remain in this posture until the living
animal, taking him for another animal of his species, begins to approach him.

 a Du Pratz. Hist. de La Louisiane 1, 8-89.