BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY


 and Tonikas; and soon, as I have said, of the Natchitoches, and they all gave
 striking proofs of it in the course of this war. On the other hand, the Natchez
 seemed to behold without alarm the storm gathering against them. They did
 not at first despair of winning over the Tonikas, and on the 9th of December
 sent to them the Tioux, a little tribe long domiciliated among them, to offer them
 some of the plunder taken from the French, in order to win them over to their
 side. They did not succeed in this, but killed two straggling Frenchmen whom
 they found.
 On the 10th the Sieur le Merveilleux entered that bay with his detachment
 and some Frenchmen who had joined him. He intrenched for fear of surprise.
 The following days all the troops arrived, and on the 18th the Chevalier de
 Loubois entered it with 25 additional soldiers. He found the whole army en-
 camped, well intrenched, and in good condition. He had two days previously
 detached the Sieur Mexplex a with 5 men to obtain tidings of the enemy, and,
 the better to ascertain their strength, he had ordered him to throw out some
 proposals of peace.b
 The party proceeded up the river in a pirogue, landed, and
 marched to the concession of White Earth within half a leane of
 the Grand village. Proceeding on from this point, they soon found
 themselves surrounded by enemies and sought refuge in a ravine.
 Here they defended themselves for some time until one of their
 number, the Navarre above referred toc, who had improved his time
 by heaping insults on the enemy in their own language, was killed
 and the Sieur Mexplex wounded. The remainder surrendered and
 were taken before the great chief. One of the white prisoners,
 Madame Desnoyers, was then brought in, and the chief dictated
 terms of peace to her which he afterward gave to one of the soldiers
 to deliver to Loubois. Madame Desnoyers, however, took the oppor-
 tunity to represent to the commander the unfortunate state of her-
 self and her companions.l According to Le Petit they demanded
 as hostages the Sieur Broutin [or Brontin], who had formerly been
 commandant among them, and the chief of the Tonikas. Besides,
they demanded as the ransom for the women, children, and slaves,
200 guns, 200 barrels of powder, 200 barrels of balls, 2,000 gunflints,
200 knives, 200 hatchets, 200 pickaxes, 20 quarts of brandy, 20 casks
of wine, 20 barrels of vermilion, 200 shirts, 20 pieces of Limbourg, 20
pieces of cloth, 20 coats with lace on the seams, 20 hats bordered
with plumes, and 100 coats of a plainer kind." e
 Charlevoix declares that it was afterward discovered they had
intended, if these things were sent, to butcher the French who
brought the ransom and then sell their prisoners to the English.
 This was probably the Sieur Mesplet referred to on p. 212. These six men volunteered
for the service.-Dumont, Mem. Hist. sur La Louisiane, ii, 173.
 Shea's Charlevoix, Hist. Louisiana, vi, 92-95.
 SP. 228.
 d Dumont, M6m. IIist. sur La Louisiane, II, 173-175; Du Pratz, Hist. de La Louisiane,
III, 269-271, 274-279. Charlevoix is evidently in error in saying that three of the party
were killed and the others made prisoners immediately on landing.
 SLe Petit, Jes. Rel., LXVIII, 190-191.
 t Charlevoix, Hist. Louisiana, VI, 95-96.


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