their women and children can sleep there. When night falls, they light fires in their lodges to mislead any spies into thinking that they are in them. Before dawn they rekindle the same fires. If their enemies come to attack their dwellings, the men in the ditch attack them and inflict much damage from the trenches, without being seen or found by the intruders. When there are no forests that would allow them to conceal themselves in this fashion and carry out ambushes, they set up in an open area as best they can and surround the camp with trenches covered with brushwood and they make their loopholes to shoot at their enemies, preparing these things for the night. While I was with the Doguenes, their enemies surprised them at midnight, attacking them and killing three and wounding many others, causing them to flee from their dwellings into the woods. Once they knew that the others had gone, they returned to the place of the attack and gathered all the arrows that the others had shot. As stealthily as they could, they followed the attackers and spent the night near the others' lodges without being noticed. Shortly before dawn, they attacked them, killing five and wounding many others. They made them flee, leaving their dwellings and bows as well as all their belongings. Shortly thereafter the women of the Quevenes came and mediated between them and caused them to be friends, although the women sometimes are the reason battles begin. Whenever any of these people have particular enmity, they snare and kill each other at night, unless they are members of the same family, and inflict great cruelties on one another.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

How the Indians Are Skilled with a Weapon

These people are the readiest with weapons that I have ever seen. If they fear an attack by their enemies, they lie awake all night with their bows and a dozen arrows next to them.