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
We observ’d, that there was a Difference between the Language of those
People and the Inhabitants of the Village we were in, from that of the
_Cenis_, and that they had some peculiar Ceremonies, one whereof is,
that when the Women have their Terms, they leave the Company of their
Husbands and withdraw into other Cottages appointed for that Purpose,
which no Person is to come near, upon Pain of being reputed unclean.
[Sidenote: _Ornaments of Women._]
[Sidenote: _July 1687_]
Those Women have their Faces still more disfigur’d, than the others
we had seen before; for they make several Streaks, or Scores on them,
whereas the others had but one. They adorn themselves with little Locks
of fine red Hair; which they make fast to their Ears in the Nature of
Pendants. In other Respects they are not disagreeable, and neither
Women nor Maids are so ill-natur’d as to make their Lovers pine for
them. They are not difficult of Access, and they soon make a Return for
a small Present.
[Sidenote: _The Men._]
The Men wear their Hair short, like our _Capucins_, they anoint it
with a sort of Oyl, or Grease, and curl it like snails, after which
they strew on it a Sort of Down, or Lint, died red, as we do Powder,
which is done when they design to be very fine, in order to appear in
their Assemblies. They are very fond of their Children, and all the Way
of chastising them they use, is to throw Water at them, without ever
beating or giving them ill Words.
The _Indians_ that were of the Village of _Cohainihoua_[113] and to
conduct us thither, not being ready to set out on _Wednesday_ the 2d
of _July_, as they had promis’d, a young _Indian_ offer’d himself,
saying, he would conduct us safe thither, and we set out with him,
still directing our Course towards the _N. E._ We kept close along the
same River we had cross’d, and found it very pleasant and navigable,
the Banks of it cover’d with fine Trees of several Sorts.
We had not travell’d above a League, before our Guide gave us to
understand, that he had forgot a Piece of hard dry’d Skin he had to
make him Shoes, which he would go fetch and return to us, pointing to
us with his Hand, which Way we were to go, and telling us we should
soon come to a River.
This sudden Change in the _Indian_ was somewhat surprizing and very
much perplex’d us; however we held on our Way, and soon came to the
River he had mention’d to us, which was very pleasant and deep. We
cross’d it the next Day, on a Sort of Float, which we made with much
Toil and Labour, and our Horses swam over. Some Time after we were
passed, we saw the _Indians_ coming, who had promised to bear us
Company, and were glad to find our Float, to cross the same River, as
they did, and proceeded on our Journey all together.
[Sidenote: _Plenty of Game._]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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