y caught me, where they fired a
swivel to alarm the people who were out of the fort--when the Indians
heard the swivel they were very much alarmed, and all looked that way
and hallowed yough, yough. They then commenced running, and run in a
pretty smart trot of a run for five or six miles before they halted, and
then walked very fast until about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when they
separated, I supposed to hunt, having nothing to eat. The old chief and
one of the other Indians kept on a straight course with me, we traveled
about three miles, when we got a little way into a small prairie and
halted about fifteen minutes, there one of the party fell in with us, he
had killed a bear and brought as much of the meat with him as he could
carry. We then crossed the prairie and came to a large run about one
mile and a half from where we had halted to rest. By this time three
Indians had joined us. We halted there, made a fire and roasted the bear
meat, the other two Indians staid behind as spies. Whilst the meat was
cooking, the Indians held a council what they would do with the Indian
that wanted to kill me. He was a young fellow about 19 years of age and
of a different nation, being a Pottowatema. They did not want him to go
to war with them; they said he was a great coward and would not go into
danger till there was no risk to run, then he would run forward and get
the best of the plunder, and that he would not be commanded; he would do
as he pleased; was very selfish and stubborn; and was determined to kill
me if he could get a chance. They determined in their council to kill
him. It is a law with the Indians when they go to war, if an Indian will
not obey the counsels and commands of his captain or chief, to kill
them. When their meat was cooked, they ate very hearty, and when they
were done eating, three of the Indians got up, put on their budgets and
started, this young Indian was one of them. I also got up to show a
willingness to be ready. The old chief told me to sit down, and the
three Indians started off. In about three or four minutes after we
started, but varied a little in our course. We had not traveled more
than one hundred yards when we heard the report of a gun. The old chief
then told me that they had killed the Indian that wanted to kill me. The
other two Indians fell in company with us before night. We then traveled
till about 10 o'clock in the night, when we encamped at a large grove of
timber in a prairie