SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 153

will give you something to eat. He will give you tobacco. He will give you
brandy, for he was a great comrade of your father's. If he gives you none
return home. There is your father. There is your mother," said she, pointing
to the chiefs. They will never let you die of hunger. And you, Frenchmen,"
added she, addressing all those who were present, "be always good and com-
panionable to the red men. Trade with them. Do not disdain their goods."
"Bring me strong tobacco in three nights," said she to me, "in order that
I may remember you." Having uttered this speech she reentered and I
asked the old chief of the Flour village what day they were going to die.
"To-day," said he to me, "they will eat nothing. To-morrow they will eat
much. The day after to-morrow they will eat bread. The next day they will
eat nothing, but they will smoke, and when the sun is in the south they will
go to the country of the spirits where they will eat much." After this reply I
returned to the settlement, where I was told that they had been very anxious
regarding me; that Chaumont had returned the preceding night, all out of
breath; that he had reported that they had shot at him; that the same thing
had been confirmed by another soldier of the fort named Montauban, who
having wished to go that night to the Flour village had passed through the great
village, where some savages having perceived him had said to him: Go away,
Frenchman. The Tattooed-serpent is dead. It is not good here for you;"
that he had returned to the fort to give warning to M. de Villainville, who
had at once gone across to the great village with a detachment partly to see
if he could find me, and that I was very imprudent to have remained there under
such circumstances. But it was not difficult for me to make them see that all
this account was founded only on a panic terror, which made MM. Dumanoir,
Brontin, and Le Page take the determination to go next day to the great village
with Louis Sorel, who would serve them as interpreter, to try to save the lives
of the two wives of the dead man and to prevent, if it were possible, so many
people from perishing.
 Sunday, the 3d of June, these gentlemen having left for the great village,
two young girls of the savages presented themselves at the settlement with
10 chickens, asking in exchange a blue petticoat (jupc) to give to their mother,
who was going to die. They were told that 10 chickens were not enough for
that; that 15 were necessary; that, besides, M. Dumanoir, on leaving, had shut
up the petticoats in his chamber, and when he should return they would be
given one. They promised to bring the 5 other birds in five days, and remained
at the settlement until 11 o'clock, when two young savages passing, and per-
ceiving them, said to them: Why do you remain quietly here, you others?
Your mother is dead." At the same instant they began to weep and fled.
Toward midday Louis Sorel returned and told us that already one woman was
strangled, news which made me return to the great village after dinner. I
found there some of our French people, of whom I asked if it was true that a
woman was already dead. They told me that the evening before, after the
second dance, one of the two old women who were going to die, on reentering
the cabin, had said: "What! is that the Tattooed-serpent, that rare man?
He is a Stinkard chief. I do not want to die for him, the more because seven
months ago I killed the son of the great chief by means of a medicine I gave
him." In fact, she had already taken up again the road to her cabin, when
the great war chief, having heard this news, sent for her head, and when it
was brought to him he trampled upon it and had the body thrown outside as
food for the buzzards, saying, That is the treatment which ought to be given
to dogs." Her head was then brought to the cabin of the dead man, wrapped
in the skin of a deer.a

 a This was evidently the bad woman Du Pratz refers to; see p. 145.