198 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 43

his people were very much wearied with the voyage and as he had sick people,
he was going to encamp in an island a third of a league from their village in
order to rest for some time; but that it would give him pleasure to have them
send some one of their people during this time to inform the Natchez of his
arrival. This was accomplished at once.a The Sieur de Bienville, after having
received the calumet of the Tonikas and made them smoke in his, went with his
little troop to camp on the island, where he made them work from the next day,
the 24th, on a little intrenchment surrounded with palings, and in constructing
three sheds-one for the provisions and munitions of war, another as a guard-
house, and a third for a prison.
 The 27th of April three Natchez arrived," sent by their chiefs to M. de
Bienville, to whom they presented the calumet, which he rejected, saying to
them that they might make some of his soldiers smoke, but as for himself,
being a great chief of the French, he would smoke only when calumets were
presented by the chief Suns. This disconcerted the three warriors a little.
However, M. de Bienville, having had food given to them, pretended to laugh
with them, asked particular news of their chiefs, and exhibited an eagerness
to see them and astonishment that they had not already come to bring him
refreshments. He added that the Natchez apparently did not desire that the
French should make an establishment among them; that if he thought that
was the case he would make it among the Tonikas. They replied with marked
satisfaction that all of their nation desired nothing better than to have a
French establishment in their territory and that they were persuaded that in
five or six days the chiefs of the nation would not fail to come to show their
pleasure.
 The 28th of April these three savages returned home. M. de Bienville had
go with them a young Frenchman who spoke their language perfectly, to whom
he explained all that it was necessary to say to these chiefs and all that he
was to reply to them to induce them to come.
 This same day M. de Bienville dispatched one of the hardiest and most
skillful Canadians in a little dugout, with an Illinois savage, to ascend the
river, pass in front of the Natchez villages during the night, and go above to
warn the 15 residents of the Illinois country, who intended to descend, to dis-
trust the Natchez. and especially not to disembark among them. de Bien-
ville sent with this Canadian a dozen large sheets of parchment to place at
various points along the river. He had written on these in large characters:
"The Natchez have deClared war on the French and M. de Bienville is en-
camped among the Tonikas."
 May 4 six Canadian travelers voyagersr) arrived at our camp in three
dugouts loaded with pelts, smoked meats, and bear's oil, who related to us
that, not knowing that the Natchez had killed their comrades, they had landed
among them, and that scarcely had they set foot to earth when 20 men jumped
upon them, disarmed them, and carried off all that they had in their dugouts.
They were led to the village of the chief named The Bearded," grand war
chief of this nation, who, as soon as he saw them, demanded how many other
Frenchmen were coming down after them; that they had replied frankly that
they had left 12 hunting in six dugouts and that they would not be slow in
arriving; and that shortly afterward the great chiefs of this nation had come
in great anger to complain to this war chief because he had disarmed the
Frenchmen and pillaged their canoes; that immediately these great chiefs had

 a P4nicaut in Margry, D6couvertes, v, 521, states that M. de Tissend was sent to the
Natchez with 20 men by Bienville to speak to their chief and invite them to descend.
 bPenicaut says nothing of this first visit.