ars he brooded over his misfortunes and
humiliation, and then died in his seventy-second year. Even his body was
not allowed to rest in peace; it was stolen, and when the Indians
discovered the theft and demanded the return of the bones, the building
in which the skeleton was stored burned before it was delivered up, and
only indistinguishable ashes remained.

A word further is due the stalwart old chief, whose good qualities
certainly surpassed his evil ones. He was honorable, brave, generous and
magnanimous. He never permitted a captive to be tortured, and early gave
up the practice of scalping the enemies he had slain. As a leader in
Indian warfare he ranks high, and his final campaign had in its purpose
the same comprehensive idea which actuated Tecumseh and Pontiac, that of
a union of all Indian tribes; and he had the further intent of drawing
in the British to enforce the treaty of 1815, which he claimed had been
violated in his own case--the guarantee of immunity to all Indian allies
of the British having been disregarded. Absolute honesty and
truthfulness in business matters were among his characteristics. These
he shared with his people generally. Colonel Davenport, who had a
trading establishment on the island for many, many years, used often to
go to dinner leaving his store full of Indians, and he said they never
took so much as a clay pipe in his absence.

Black Hawk was impulsive, hopeful and credulous, and so was easily
imposed upon; he had an ardent love for the beauties of nature; he was
deeply religious, and said that he never took a drink of water from a
brook without sincere gratitude to the Great Spirit who cared for him.
He was a tender husband and father, and, contrary to the usage of his
tribe, married only one wife. When his father was killed he mourned and
fasted five years. He did the same for two years, when a son and
daughter died, eating only a little corn each evening, "hoping that the
Great Spirit would take pity on him." We wish for the honor of our race
that this poor savage whose only offense was that of loving his home too
well to give it up without a struggle, had not gone out of life leaving
such a red, indelible page on the book of history against us.

FOOTNOTES:

[58-1] The following account is taken from a paper read before the Loyal
Legion at Milwaukee, May 6, 1896, by Mr. Coe.

THE PETRIFIED FERN

_By_ MARY BOLLES BRANCH

In a valley, centuries ago,
G