SWANTON] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 231

 At the time when the father was saying the Kyrie eleison the
savages fired, killing one man and wounding the priest in the right
arm. Seeing this and that the four other voyagers had fled, he
threw himself on his knees to receive the fatal blow which he re-
garded as inevitable. In this, posture two or three discharges were
aimed at him at close quarters, but without taking effect. Taking
courage, Doutreleau then fled, jumped into the water, and drew him-
self into the dugout in which two of his companions were making
their escape. As he was climbing on board he turned his head to
see if any of the savages was following him too closely and received
a discharge of small shot, the greater part of which were flattened
against his teeth, although some entered the gums. One of his com-
panions also had his thigh broken by a musket ball. Nevertheless,
the father steered and his two companions paddled with such good
effect that after being pursued for more than an hour they distanced
their enemies. They assisted themselves in this by often pointing at
them a gun which was not loaded nor in any condition to be loaded, a
threat which had the effect of making their foes stop paddling and
throw themselves into the bottom of their canoe.
 Le Petit, whose narrative has been substantially followed in the
foregoing, continues thus:
 As soon as they found themselves freed from their enemies they dressed their
wounds as well as they could, and for the purpose of aiding their flight from
that fatal shore they threw into the river everything they had in their boat,
preserving only some pieces of raw bacon for their nourishment.
 It had been their intention to stop in passing at the Natchez, but having seen
that the houses of the French were either demolished or burned, they did not
think it advisable to listen to the compliments of the savages who from the
bank of the river invited them to land. They placed a wide distance between
them as soon as possible and thus shunned the balls which were ineffectually
fired at them. It was then that they began to distrust all these savage nations
and therefore resolved not to go near the land until they reached New Orleans,
and supposing that the barbarians might have rendered themselves masters of
it, to descend even to the Balize, where they hoped to find some French vessel
provided to receive the wreck of the colony.
 In passing the Tonika they separated themselves as far as possible from the
 shore, but they were discovered, and a pirogue which had been dispatched to
 reconnoiter them was not a long time in approaching. Their fear and distrust
 were renewed, and they did not decide to stop until they perceived that the
 persons in that boat spoke very good French, when they overcame their fears
 and in the weak state they were gladly availed themselves of the opportunity
 to land. There they found the little French army which had been formed, the
 officers compassionate and every way kind, a surgeon, and refreshments.
 After recovering a little from the great dangers and miseries they had endured,
 they on the next day availed themselves of a pirogue which had been fitted out
 for New Orleans.b
 a His name is given by Dumont as Dusablon.
 b Le Petit in Jes. Rel., LXVIII, 172-183.