The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941 Page: 217
546 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
De Bellisle on the Texas Coast
throwing it up without any effort. They told me to
do the same and that this was good. I passed the
entire summer with them in this manner. They did
me no other harm but to let me go around naked."
When the beginning of the winter came, we all left
to a join a band of their people who were waiting for
us at the end of the bay. We arrived there at the end
of seven or eight days. We made but three or four
leagues a day. It was at that place that they began
to treat me much worse than before. If they needed
water or wood they ordered me to go and get it. In
the beginning I told them to go and get it themselves
because I knew a little of their language. When I
told them this the second time, there was one who gave
be a blow with all his force. I understood then that
I should obey without replying. I went therefore to
get wood for them. As soon as I returned, a woman
told me to fetch some water. I did this. Since they
began to treat me badly, I could not say a word with-
out receiving a slap or a blow with a stick or being
beaten with any object upon which they could lay their
hands. The big ones as well as the little ones beat
me, and the ones to whom I was kind beat me most.
When I saw what a sad life I had with the Indians
and that they would not conduct me to the whites,
whom they said were near, I decided to tell them that
I would be glad to stay my whole life with them, but
that if they would take a letter, which I was going
to write, to the White Man of whom they had spoken,
they would be well rewarded; that in order to prove
this, I would stay with them while two of their people
would carry this letter, and if they should not be sat-
isfied with the reception which they would receive, I
would submit myself to all the harm they wanted to
inflict on me. They told me to write first and that
they would take the letter with pleasure. To this end
I tore a piece of white paper from a letter, because
we had landed with a quantity of letters destined for
this country. I cut a pen with a poor knife and I
24According to the "M6moir," he had to dig wild potatoes with the
women, to carry continuously several children on his back, and because
he broke a jar he received twenty blows with a switch. An Indian matron
saved him from death by "marrying" him, in order to save this young
captive for her own pleasure. De Bellisle chose the least evil and accepted
the position of cherished slave--though this did not prevent his "wife"
from beating him. Bossu writes that de Bellisle was taken as a "dog,"
meaning slave, by a widow, "ddja sur le retour," who later "adopted him
and set him free." According to Bossu, de Bellisle became a respected
warrior of the tribe, due to this matron and his bravery at war. Bossu,
Nouveaux Voyages, Part II, 142-43.217
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Related Items
Other items on this site that are directly related to the current periodical.
Van Dorn's Trails, 1858 - 1859 (Map)
Survey map of Van Dorn's Trails, showing Texas and Oklahoma counties, towns, rivers, creeks, and Indian reservations.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941, periodical, 1941; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146052/m1/237/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.