it among their people by such rule as they saw fit to adopt;
but this mode of distribution had proved very unsatisfactory to a large
number of Indians who felt that they had been sorely wronged. The Sacs
held a convocation at Phelps' trading house soon after our arrival, and
petitioned their Great Father to change the mode of payment of their
annuities. Black Hawk was a leading spirit in this movement, but thought
best not to be present at the meeting. The writer of this drew up a
petition in advance of the assembling of the meeting, in accordance with
the views of the Messrs. Phelps, and after a short council, in which the
Indians generally participated, the interpreter read and explained to
them the petition, which was a simple prayer to their Great Father, to
charge the mode of payment so that each head of a family should receive
and receipt for his proportion of the annuity. They were all satisfied
and the entire party "touched the goose quill," and their names were
thus duly attached to this important document.

The Secretary of War had long favored this mode of payment of the
annuities to the Indians, and at a meeting of the Cabinet to consider
this petition the prayer of the Indians was granted, and in due time
the Indian department received instructions, so that upon the payment of
1835 this rule was adopted. On his return from Rock Island, Black
Hawk, with a number of his band, called on his old friend Wahwashenequa
(Hawkeye), Mr. Stephen S. Phelps, to buy their necessary supplies for
making a fall hunt, and to learn at what points trading houses would be
established for the winter trade. During their stay the old chief had
frequent interviews with the writer (his former amanuensis). He said he
had a very comfortable home, a good corn field, and plenty of game,
and had been well treated by the few whites who had settled in his
neighborhood. He spent several days with us and then left for home with
a good winter outfit.

The change in the manner of payment of annuities would have been opposed
by Keokuk and his head men, had they been let into the secret, as the
annuity money when paid over was principally controlled by him, and
always to the detriment of the Sacs' traders who were in opposition to
the American Fur Company, the former having to rely almost entirely upon
the fall and winter trade in furs and peltries to pay the credits given
the Indians before leaving for their hunts.

BLACK HAWK'S LAST VI