told the crier of my village to give notice that we
must go and bury our dead. In a little while all were ready. A small
deputation was sent for our absent warriors, and the remainder started
to bury the dead. We first disposed of them and then commenced an
examination in the enemy's deserted encampment for plunder. We found
arms and ammunition and provisions, all of which we were sadly in want
of, particularly the latter, as we were entirely without. We found also
a variety of saddle bags, which I distributed among my braves, a small
quantity of whisky and some little barrels that had contained this bad
medicine, but they were empty. I was surprised to find that the whites
carried whisky with them, as I had understood that all the pale faces,
when acting is soldiers in the field, were strictly temperate.

The enemy's encampment was in a skirt of woods near a run, about half a
day's travel from Dixon's ferry. We attacked them in the prairie, with a
few bushes between us, about sundown, and I expected that my whole party
would be killed. I never was so much surprised in all the fighting I
have seen, knowing, too, that the Americans generally shoot well, as
I was to see this army of several hundreds retreating, without showing
fight, and passing immediately through their encampment, I did think
they intended to halt there, as the situation would have forbidden
attack by my party if their number had not exceeded half of mine, as
we would have been compelled to take the open prairie whilst they could
have picked trees to shield themselves from our fire.

I was never so much surprised in my life as I was in this attack. An
army of three or four hundred men, after having learned that we were
sueing for peace, to attempt to kill the flag bearers that had gone
unarmed to ask for a meeting of the war chiefs of the two contending
parties to hold a council, that I might return to the west side of the
Mississippi, to come forward with a full determination to demolish
the few braves I had with me, to retreat when they had ten to one, was
unaccountable to me. It proved a different spirit from any I had ever
before seen among the pale faces. I expected to see them fight as the
Americans did with the British during the last war, but they had no such
braves among them. At our feast with the Pottowattomies I was convinced
that we had been imposed upon by those who had brought in reports of
large re-enforcements to my band and resolved n