SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 195

 This avowal of 8 persons, all of whom assured us of the same thing, obliged
 us to give up.
 M. de la Loire, the elder, was above all much embarrassed how he should
 withdraw his brother, who had remained in the village of the Natchez as
 guard of the storehouse of goods of the company. He spoke to me about it,
 appearing very sad. I told him that, if he would permit me, I would go alone
 to find him, and that I would bring him back with me or perish there. After
 having laid our plans above, we parted three hours after midday in order to
 arrive at the landing of the Natchez village one hour before sunset, in order
 to be able to go by day to the village, because it was one league distant from
 the bank of the river. When we were arrived there I told my people not to land
 and to await me until midnight, and that, if I had not returned then, they
 might count on my being dead, and had then only to proceed. I took my gun,
 my powder flask, and my sack of balls, and I got out of the canoe to take my
 way to the village. M. de la Loire conducted me to the edge of the prairie;
 he embraced me weeping, and told me that, if I brought back his brother, he
 would not be the only one who would remember such a great service, and
 that all his family would be under infinite obligations to me. I answered
 nothing except that he should await me at daybreak, and that, God assisting,
 I would do all that I could.
 When I was in the middle of the prairie, in sight of the village, some
 Natchez savages, perceiving me at a distance, ran to tell M. le Chevalier de
 la Loire, for so was he called, that a Frenchman was coming, for they had
 not recognized me at a distance. Immediately this young man came to see
 who it was, and, having recognized me, he ran to me and threw himself on my
 neck, asking the reason for my return. 1 told him at the moment that I was
 fallen ill, and, when I was in his cabin, I begged him to send for the grand
 chief, who came a moment afterward. I told him that there were 6 French-
 men fallen ill in our canoes, which was the reason why we had returned as
 far as the landing, and that 30 men were needed next day to bring our goods
 to the storehouse of the company at his village.
 He replied .that he was going to have them informed, and that we had done
 well in having come down, because the Yazous were worth nothing and might
 have waited on the road to break our heads. I thanked him, telling him that
 he was right, although I well knew all his treason. After he had gone I said
 to the Chevalier de la Loire that we must Ihink of escaping, although we
 were guarded by 3 savages, who slept in the cabin where we lay. After
 I had told him that the youth became very uneasy, and asked me every
 moment if we could save ourselves. I told him, in order to reassure him, that
he had only to leave it to me, and that we would certainly save ourselves. We
prepared for it, and I made him load his gun [and lay it] side of his pillow,
so that he would have no trouble in finding it. When I saw that the 3 savages
who were lying in our cabin were asleep I was desirous of stabbing them with
my bayonet; but the young man withheld me, being absolutely unwilling, for
fear, said he, lest it would make a noise and awaken the other savages, who were
then all asleep. I took that time then to make him leave with me, and after
I had softly opened the door I told him to take the road to the landing through
the prairie. When I saw that he was perhaps a quarter of a league in advance
I double locked the door of the cabin. outside, inclosing the 3 savages. I
threw the key into a heap of dirt, and began running after him, gun in hand.
I joined him at the edge of the woods where I had told him to await me. As
soon as he saw me he asked whether the savages were awake. "They are all
in a deep sleep," said I, that is why we are able to walk at present in safety."
We ran, however, almost a quarter of a league farther, so much did we desire