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 holy manner to procure fire from the White Apple village.  Yet the calamities continued.  The watch who had suffered the fire to fail in the first temple, conscience smitten, confessed his sin and paid its penalty.