with the Spaniards; that the Choumans were Friends to the Spaniards, from whom they got Horses, and added some farther Particulars, which the others had before signify'd to us; so that we had good Reason to judge we were not far from North Mexico.
He also told us, that the Choumans had given their Chief some Presents, to perswade him to conduct us to them; that most of the said Nation had flat Heads; that they had Indian Corn, which gave Monsieur de la Sale Ground to believe, that those People were some of the same he had seen upon his first Discovery. That same Native had a very fine Goat's Skin, which I purchas'd of him for four Needles, after I had shewn him how to use them, and that Skin was of good Use to make us Shoes instead of raw Bullocks Hides.
M. Moranget's Account. Some Time after, Monsieur Moranget return'd, gave Monsieur de la Sale an Account of his short Journey, and said, That one of the Natives, who saw us the Night before, came to meet and conduct him to the Chief's Cottage, where forty Ancient[1] Indians were, by whom he had been kindly receiv'd. That the Chief had in his Hand a Reed, at the end whereof was made fast a Leaf of a French Book, which he had an extraordinary Respect for. That they had been made to sit on Bullocks Hides, and treated with dry'd Beef.
That after these first Ceremonies, the Chief had given them to understand, that some of their People had been conducted by a Man like us, to our Habitation, and that the said Man had promis'd to bring them to talk with us, in order to treat of Peace; but that on the Contrary, we had fired on them and kill'd one of their Men, which had oblig'd them to kill the Man that led them, and that then they return'd. It is not improper here to put the Reader in Mind, that I have before mention'd this Accident, when the Sieur Barbier crossing the River in a Canoe, was call'd upon by some Person, who was among the Natives on theC. C. edit.]
- ↑ Fr. "quarante anciens Sauvages"—forty old Indians. [Later, the translater uses the proper word "Elders."
