rt drawn by one ox
and started with the rest on Monday morning. The Dressers had their cart
which I had managed to fix and their team of horses. I started with them
and the string of carts. I could see the trail two miles ahead. It had
to go around the sloughs. The cart train of course followed it. I soon
saw the sloughs were frozen and would bear my ox and wide wheeled cart
where it was not deep, so I cut across. When Mrs. Dresser was getting
dinner, I appeared and ate with them. They could not understand how I
could keep up with horses. The train was several miles back. We all
camped together at night. The first night was spent on the border of
Swan Lake. The trail followed a straight line from Traverse to Lac qui
Parle, except for these sloughs.

Saturday night we camped at Black Oak Lake, twelve miles from Lac qui
Parle. In the morning, McLeod and his train went on, but we stayed and
kept the Sabbath, arriving the next day.

The first Indian I ever shook hands with was Little Crow at Kaposia, his
village. He was common looking even for an Indian. My uncle, Dr.
Williamson said, "He is the smoothest Indian I know. Usually when I am
told a lie once, I look out for that liar and never trust him again, but
Little Crow has fooled me with his lies a dozen times and I suppose he
will a dozen times more."

When I first knew John Otherday he was a savage with all a savage's
instincts. My uncle, Mr. Williamson said to me one night, "We'll lock
the cattle up tonight; Oupeto Topeca, later Otherday, is back from
Washington and feels very much abused. He might kill them." When he
became a Christian all this was changed. He never forgot his religion
for a moment. At the time of the outbreak he led a party of refugees at
the greatest risk to himself through the back country to Shakopee. I
think there were over forty in the party.

I used to walk fifty miles a day with ease, and could keep it up for
several days. I never walked in moccasins, for they gave no support to
the feet; but a soldier's shoe, bought at the fort for $2.00 was ideal
to wear. It had a long, heavy sole leather sole, a very low heel and
heavy leather all hand sewed, for the uppers.

The Northwestern Fur Company's trail started from New Cave, now St.
Paul, and followed the Mississippi River through St. Anthony to Anoka.
It forded the Rum River at Anoka, near the Mississippi, following as
nearly as possible that river to St. Cloud, where it crossed at a ford.