American Myths and Legends Author:Charles M. Skinner Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: happiness among his fellows, and, plunging into the wood once more, he sought the land of the Natchez. THE EXILES AND MANON LESCAUT ' I HE French governmen... more »t first encouraged the emigration of women to America, and afterward enforced it. Lonis XIV. wished his Western colonies to grow, and for that reason he offered substantial inducements to the colonists to get married early and often—at least, early. In 1668 a ship-load of French girls sent to Quebec to find husbands met with a rapturous welcome. Men who were late in reaching the dock had reason for repentance, because the last girl was gone within fifteen minutes after landing. Bounties were paid to young people who married, boys under twenty and girls under sixteen being especially favored, while pensions were granted to parents who had ten children, the award being increased to four hundred livres if they could show twelve or more. By the same token, all the parents who did not marry off their children in good season were fined. IX THE OI.U KIIEXCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS In the French colony on the Gulf of Mexico both pioneers and wives endured many privations. Bienville established himself at Dauphin Island under circumstances that brought upon him the dislike of the Indians. He called his place of settlement the Isle of Massacre, because he found there a pile of human bones; and he afterward became a somewhat expert lopper of heads himself. Near his fort, the ruin of which might still be traced at the beginning of the Revolution, was the temple of the Mobiles, where burned a sacred fire that was never allowed to go out. All of the Southern tribes went to that temple for fire. So soon as the French adventurer had established himself among the fire-worshippers the same thoughtful government that had tried to people...« less