ess to
waste our powder as there was no possible chance of success if we did
attack them, and that as we had ran the bear into his hole we would
there leave him and return to our camp.

On arriving at our encampment we found that several of our spies had
returned, bringing intelligence that the army had commenced moving.
Another party of five came in and said they had been pursued for several
hours, and were attacked by twenty-five or thirty whites in the woods;
that the whites rushed in upon them as they lay concealed and received
their fire without seeing them. They immediately retreated whilst we
reloaded. They entered the thicket again and as soon as they came near
enough we fired. Again they retreated and again they rushed into the
thicket and fired. We returned their fire and a skirmish ensued between
two of their men and one of ours, who was killed by having his throat
cut. This was the only man we lost, the enemy having had three killed;
they again retreated.

Another party of three Sacs had come in and brought two young white
squaws, whom they had given to the Winnebagoes to take to the whites.
They said they had joined a party of Pottowattomies and went with them
as a war party against the settlers of Illinois.

The leader of this party, a Pottowattomie, had been severely whipped by
this settler, some time before, and was anxious to avenge the insult and
injury. While the party was preparing to start, a young Pottowattomie
went to the settler's house and told him to leave it, that a war party
was coming to murder them. They started, but soon returned again, as
it appeared that they were all there when the war party arrived. The
Pottowattomies killed the whole family, except two young squaws, whom
the Sacs took up on their horses and carried off, to save their lives.
They were brought to our encampment, and a messenger sent to the
Winnebagoes, as they were friendly on both sides, to come and get them,
and carry them to the whites. If these young men, belonging to my band,
had not gone with the Pottowittomies, the two young squaws would have
shared the same fate as their friends.

During our encampment at the Four Lakes we were hard pressed to obtain
enough to eat to support nature. Situated in a swampy, marshy country,
(which had been selected in consequence of the great difficulty required
to gain access thereto,) there was but little game of any sort to
be found, and fish were equally scarce. The great di