earned that Black Hawk, the leader of the savages, had, soon
after the termination of the battle, gone with some twenty of his
warriors back to his village on Rock river, whither we instantly
determined to follow him.

"At sunrise the next morning we were on his trail, and followed it
with great care to the banks of a stream. Here we ascertained that
the savages had separated into nearly equal parties--the one keeping
straight down the banks of the stream, while the other had crossed to
the other side and continued on toward Rock river. A council was now
held, in which the oldest members of our party gave it as their opinion
that Black Hawk had changed his intention of going to his village, and
had, with the greater part of his followers, pursued his way down the
stream, while the rest had been sent by him for some purpose to the
town. In this opinion all coincided; but still our leader, who was a
very shrewd man, had some doubts on his mind concerning the movements of
the chief, and therefore, to make everything sure, he detailed four of
us to follow the trail across the stream, while he with the rest, some
seven or eight in number, immediately took the one down the bank.

"We soon after found ourselves alone and in the vicinity of Indian
settlements, and we were therefore obliged to move with the utmost
caution, which had the effect of rendering our progress extremely slow.
During the course of the following morning we came across a great many
different trails and by these we were so perplexed that we resolved to
return to the main body; but from the signs we had already seen we knew
that such a step would be attended with the greatest risk, and so it
was at last decided that it would be far more safe for all hands to
separate, and each man look out for himself. This resolve was no sooner
made than it was put into execution, and a few minutes later found me
alone in the great wilderness. I had often been so before, but never
before had I been placed in a situation as dangerous as the present one,
for now on all sides I was surrounded by foes, who would rejoice in the
shedding of my blood. But still I was not gong to give up easily, and
looking well to my weapons and redoubling my caution, I struck off at an
angle from the course I had first chosen, why I hardly knew.

"I encountered nothing very formidable till some two hours before
sunset, when, just as I emerged from a tangled thicket, I perceived
an Indian on his