e the flat heads and other bones
of this remarkable people.

They had a tradition that an evil spirit was always tempting them to
violate the laws, and the regulations of their religious belief. That
at one time he had so nearly extinguished the holy fire in their
temples, and the love of the sun in their hearts, that the Great Spirit
came and fought with them against him, until finally he was conquered
and chained in a deep cave, whence he still continued to send out
little devils to tempt and torment their people. It was these who
brought disease and death; these who tempted to lie, steal, and kill;
disobedience in their wives when they refused to perform their duties
or became bellicose, as wives sometimes will, of every people on earth.
It was a trite saying, shut up the cave in your heart and smother or
put out the bad spirit. It was a belief that these imps or little
devils found much more easy access to the caves in the hearts of women
than into those of men, and that they encouraged them to come and
nestle there. Is the belief alone the Indian's? There are some within
my knowledge whose experience at home might readily yield belief to
this faith of the savage.

Their traditions, too, told them of the great waters coming over all
the land, and destroying all the inhabitants except those who had
boats; and that the latter were carried away by the waters and left by
them on all the land that was permitted again to come above the waters;
and that by that means people were planted everywhere. These traditions
are quite as rational as most of the speculations as to how the earth
was populated, especially that which we learn in the cradle, of Adam
and Eve's mission.

It was death, by their law, to permit the holy fire to become
extinguished in the temples. To prevent such a calamity, it was
preserved in two temples at different points; when accidentally
extinguished in one, it was to be obtained from the other; but not
peacefully. The keepers must resist and blood must be spilt in order to
obtain it. Soon after they became acquainted with the French, the fire
was extinguished in the great temple at the White Apple village by the
lazy watcher. Knowing his fate, he stealthily lighted it from profane
fire. Great misfortunes following this, and shortly thereafter the loss
of the holy fire in the other temple near the Grindstone ford, on the
Bayou Pierre, in Claiborne County, Mississippi, they sought after the
legal and