the whites
would have been killed, as were the British soldiers at Mackinac many
years before.

We broke up our camp and returned to Rock river. A short time afterward
the party at the fort received reinforcements, among whom we observed
some of our old friends from St. Louis.

Soon after our return from Fort Madison runners came to our village from
the Shawnee Prophet. Others were despatched by him to the village of
the Winnebagoes, with invitations for us to meet him on the Wabash.
Accordingly a party went from each village.

All of our party returned, among whom came a prophet, who explained to
us the bad treatment the different nations of Indians had received from
the Americans, by giving them a few presents and taking their land from
them.

I remember well his saying: "If you do not join your friends on the
Wabash, the Americans will take this very village from you!" I little
thought then that his words would come true, supposing that he used
these arguments merely to encourage us to join him, which we concluded
not to do. He then returned to the Wabash, where a party Of Winnebagoes
had preceded him, and preparations were making for war. A battle soon
ensued in which several Winnebagoes were killed. As soon as their nation
heard of this battle, and that some of their people had been killed,
they sent several war parties in different directions. One to the mining
county, one to Prairie du Chien, and another to Fort Madison. The latter
returned by our village and exhibited several scalps which they had
taken. Their success induced several parties to go against the fort.
Myself and several of my band joined the last party, and were determined
to take the fort. We arrived in the vicinity during the night. The spies
that we had sent out several days before to watch the movements of those
at the garrison, and ascertain their numbers, came to us and gave the
following information: "A keel arrived from below this evening with
seventeen men. There are about fifty men in the fort and they march out
every morning to exercise." It was immediately determined that we should
conceal ourselves in a position as near as practicable to where the
soldiers should come out, and when the signal was given each one was to
fire on them and rush into the fort. With my knife I dug a hole in the
ground deep enough that by placing a few weeds around it, succeeded
in concealing myself. I was so near the fort that I could hear the
sentinels