Joutel's Journal of La Salle's Last Voyage, 1684-7Joutel, Henri
History
Joutel's Journal of La Salle's Last Voyage, 1684-7
Joutel, Henri
La Salle, Robert Cavelier, sieur de, 1643-1687; Louisiana -- History -- To 1803; Mississippi River -- Discovery and exploration
They brought Home two of those Women alive, one of whom had her Head
flead for the Sake of her Hair and Skin. They gave that wretched
Creature a Charge of Powder and a Ball, and sent Her home, bidding her
carry that Present to her Nation, and to assure them, they should be
again treated after the same Manner, that is, kill’d with Fire Arms.
[Sidenote: _Of the Women._]
The other Woman was kept to fall a Sacrifice to the Rage and Vengeance
of the Women and Maids; who having arm’d themselves with thick Stakes,
sharp Pointed at the End, Conducted that Wretch to a By-Place, where
each of those Furies began to torment her, sometimes with the Point
of their Staff, and sometimes laying on her with all their Might. One
tore off her Hair, another cut off her Finger, and every one of those
outrageous Women endeavour’d to put her to some exquisite Torture, to
revenge the Death of their Husbands and Kinsmen, who had been kill’d in
the former Wars; so that the unfortunate Creature expected her Death
Stroke, as Mercy.
[Sidenote: _Inhumanity._]
At last, one of them gave her a Stroke with a heavy Club on the Head,
and another run her Stake several Times into her Body, with which she
fell down Dead on the Spot. Then they cut that Miserable Victim into
Morsels, and oblig’d some Slaves of that Nation, they had been long
possess’d of to eat them.
[Sidenote: _Cruel Trophies._]
Thus our Warriors return’d Triumphant from that Expedition. They spar’d
none of the Prisoners they had taken, except two little Boys, and
brought Home all the Skins of their Heads, with the Hair, to be kept as
Trophies and glorious Memorials of their Victory.
The next Day all those Savages met in their Chief’s Cottage, whither
all the abovemention’d Heads of Hair were carry’d in State. Then they
made extraordinary Rejoicings in that Cottage, whence they went to
the Huts of the other Prime Men, to perform the same Ceremony. This
Rejoicing lasted three Days, our _French_ Companions, who had been the
Cause of their Victory, being call’d to it, and highly entertain’d,
after their Manner. It will not be disagreeable to the Reader, that
I here particularly describe that Ceremony, which after having been
perform’d in the Cottages of the Chief Men, was repeated in ours.
[Sidenote: _Ceremony of Rejoicing._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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