SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 183

find a place where they might conceal themselves far from the ancients of the
country, because after having been a long time good friends they had become
ill disposed and so numerous that we were no longer able to defend ourselves
against them. All those who dwelt in the plains could not avoid submitting,
and those who had retired into the mountains remained alone under obedience
to the great Sun. The ancients of the country wished, indeed, to force those of
our people whom they had subjugated to join them in order to make war on
us, but they preferred to die rather than attack their brothers and especially
the Suns.
 But those who had ascended along the west side of the great river, having
discovered this land which we inhabit, now crossed the river on a raft of dry
canes. They found the country such as they desired, suitable for concealing
themselves from the ancients of the country, and even easy to defend against
them if they ever undertook to attack us there. On their return they reported
this to the great Sun and the other Suns who governed the villages.
 "The great Sun immediately had those informed who remained in the plains
and defended themselves still against the ancients of the country, and ordered
them to go into this new land and build there a temple and to carry there the
eternal fire in order to preserve it. There came hither a great number, with
their wives and their children. The oldest and the Suns, relatives of the great
Sun, remained with those who kept with the great Sun and in the mountains.
They remained there a still longer time, as well as those who lived on the
shores of the great water.
 "A large part of our nation being then established here lived a long time in
peace and in abundance during many generations. On the other hand, those
who had remained under the Sun, or very near, for it was very warm there,
did not hasten to come and join us, because the ancients of the country made
themselves hated by all men-as much by our nation as by their own. Here is
how the ancient word says tlat that hapllHned.
 The ancients of the country were all brothers-that is to say, they all came
out of the same country-but each large village on which many others depended
had its head master, and each head master commanded those whom he had
brought with him into this land. There was then nothing done among them
that all had not consented to, but one of these head masters raised himself
above the others and treated them as slaves. Thus the ancients of the country
no longer agreed among themselves. They even warred against one another.
Some of them united with those of our nation who had remained, and all
together they sustained themselves well enough.
 This was not the only reason which retained our Suns in that country. It
was hard for them to leave such a good land, and besides their assistance was
necessary to our other brothers who were established there like ourselves and
who lived along the shore of the great water on the side toward the east.
These extended so far that they went very far beyond the Sun, since there were
some of them from whom the Sun heard sometimes only at the end of five or
six years, and there were yet others so far away from us, whether along the
coast or in the islands, that for many years they had not been heard of at all.
 It was only after many generations that these Suns came to join us in this
country, where the fine air and the peace which we enjoyed had multiplied us
into a number as great as the leaves on the trees. These Suns came alone
with their slaves, because our other brothers did not wish to follow them.
Warriors of fire a had arrived who made the earth tremble and who had beaten
the ancients of the country, and our brothers were allied with them, although


aThe Spaniards.-[Du PRATZ.]