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8PAIN IN THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, 1705-1794
have received no letter from him. When I was -at Nogales I re-, ceived permission from Mr. Delavillebeuvre to spend the winter at Tombecbe and to settle there. Since the government has agreed with the Chactaws to send them their presents there, I am working with the constant fear of wasting my labors. That is why I take the liberty of asking you to let me know if I may continue working. You will oblige the one who has the honor of being, with respect and submission, Sir,
Your must humble and obedient servant,
Simon Favre (Rubric).
To Monsieur Don Manuelle de Lansose, captain of regular troops, commander of the fort and dependencies of Mobile.
Valle to Portell January 88,179b 150
I have the honor to inform you that the chief of the Loups 1ms arrived last night with a party of his people, and the remainder are to come soon. Since I have been warned by Monsieur Trudeau that ill-intentioned men had attempted to mislead and deceive them, I held a council soon after their arrival in the presence of Monsieur de Luziere and Monsieur Pratt, Sr. I gave them a message on your behalf. After MM. de Luziere and Pratt had told them the truth about the circumstances which required all to bend all their efforts to prepare for the war in this colony, and about the falseness of the statement made to them by perfidious persons for the purpose of deceiving and misleading them, our Indians gladly accepted the collar and the message that I gave them on your behalf. They are going to leave without delay for Cape Girardeau and go on to your place. As a consequence of the great trust which this nation has always shown towards me, I spared no means to make them well-disposed toward the war, and I make bold to guarantee to you that you will be quite satisfied with them. Among these warriors there is a war chief called Pepecousason who is very influential. I have also placed him in a favorable state of mind and I beg you to give him personally some proofs of your affection.
You will surely be glad to know also that in a previous council which I held with the Peorias, they similarly accepted with joy the collar and message of war which I gave them. I inform you also, Sir that with the aid of MM. de Luziere and Pratt, we hope to bring hick to the fold the Chief Decoigne of the Kaskaskias, who has done us such harm in the nations around St. Louis, and to un-
>?BL, (French).
PROBLEMS OF FRONTIER DEFENSE, 1792-1794
251
deceive all of them by inducing them to go to war against our enemies. Although superior orders have deprived me of the pleasure of serving under you, I am at least seizing all opportunities to help the service of your district with all the means in my power.
God have you in his holy keeping,
Fransois Vallf.
St. Genevieve January 88,179k Monsieur Portell
Chief of the Loots to Trudeau le0*
Talk which the chief of the Loups begs his father, M. Zenon Trudeau to give on his behalf to the savage tribes of his post and dependencies. My Children,
I have finally seen the light, clear and cloudless, and I am going to tell you the exact truth. They have deceived us all in making us think that the army of the whites which proposed to come into our lands was composed of subjects of our good old French father. This band is composed only of robbers and brigands whom they engaged at Red Bluffs on the frontier of Kentucky and towards Cumberland, and whose only intention is to spoil our roads, which are very smooth, rob our brothers, the whites, and massacre our women and children.
It is also true that this band which is said to be coming onto our lands in the name of the French, is not coming in the name of those good French who have, as we do, our French father in their hearts, but rather in the name of those bad French who have cut off this good father?s head, and on whom all the nations of the world beyond the great lake are waging a bloody war.
They have also deceived us in assuring us that the Great Chief of the Big Knives wanted us to remain quiet and not raise the tomahawk against this army which was to come onto our lands. On the contrary, it is very certain that the Great Chief is opposed to this raising of troops, and that he has sent word to the Spaniard at L?Anse a la Graisse and to you at St. Louis to advise that this raising of troops was carried out despite his prohibitions.
In view of these facts, my children, of which I guarantee you the exact truth on my head, I have not hesitated to accept the word, and the collar which our vailiant father at L?Anse a la Graisse has had sent to us, and to assemble on our lands without delay with our tomahawks well reddened in order to defend our level roads.
I invite you, my children, to go to see your father at St. Louis face to face, when he will give this talk, and to join with him in preventing their spoiling our roads.
BL, (French).
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