Elsie's Journey on Inland Waters, Page 2

  CHAPTER II.

  Ned had begun to nod, and Elsie's eyes drooped as if she too were inneed of a nap; perceiving which Grandma Elsie bade their nurse takethem to their berth.

  A light breeze had sprung up, and it was very pleasant on deck in theshade of the awning; while, resting upon couches or in easy chairs,they talked in a quiet way of the various interesting exhibits to whichthey had given their attention since leaving the yacht that morning.

  "We visited the Illinois Building," said Evelyn, "and were very muchinterested in the wonderful grain picture there. It is an ideal prairiefarm--with farmhouse, barn, stock-sheds, all made of corn-husks as wellas the picket fence surrounding it; there are stock and poultry in thebarnyard; there is a windmill too, and there are fields and cattle."

  "Yes," said Walter, as Eva paused in her account, "and the perspectiveshowed fields of grass and grain, pasture too, and sky effects--allmade of natural grains, grasses, leaves, and berries indigenous toIllinois."

  "Oh, I think I must get papa to take us to see it!" exclaimed Grace.

  "There is a curtain that partly covers the picture," continued Walter;"it is made of the same materials and caught up by a rope with tasselsmade of yellow corn.

  "We visited the Idaho Building too," he went on, "and I think youshould all see it. It is really picturesque--a log-house on afoundation of lava and basaltic rock. The timbers we were told are fromyoung cedar trees, stuffed and stained to produce the effect of age;then it has fine upper and lower balconies shaded by a projecting roofupheld by brackets of logs. I heard people remarking that it was thehandsomest log-house ever built, and certainly I never saw any othernearly so handsome."

  "Ah, here comes the boat again with the rest of our folks!" exclaimedGrace, and springing to his feet, Walter hastened to the side of thevessel to assist the ladies in getting on board.

  "Well, Lu, have you had a good time since I left you?" asked Grace, ina lively tone, as her sister drew near.

  "Yes; yes, indeed!" returned Lucilla; "we have seen and enjoyed a greatdeal, and I wouldn't have missed it on any account, though we are allvery tired, I think. I am, I know," she concluded, dropping into aseat by Grace's side.

  "As we all are," said Violet. "I am glad, mamma, that you came back tothe yacht when you did."

  "Yes, I thought it wiser not to allow myself to become very wearybefore taking rest; and we have had a pleasant, quiet time heretogether," returned Grandma Elsie, looking up with an affectionatesmile into the face of her father, who had just drawn near and wasstanding by her side, regarding her with a slightly anxious look.

  "I am glad you were so prudent," he said, "for you have not been overstrong since that illness that made us all so anxious."

  "No; and we all feel that we must be very careful of our dear mother,"remarked the captain, who had just joined the little group.

  "Of Gracie also," he added, smiling down into her face and laying acaressing hand for a moment on her head. "Are you feeling very tired,daughter?"

  "Not so very much now, papa," she answered brightly; "we have beenresting nicely here, talking over the sights and historical storiesconnected with them."

  Then, turning to her sister, "Tell us where you have been and what youhave seen since we left the party, Lu," she requested.

  "Ah, I am afraid I cannot begin to tell all," returned Lucilla, ina lively tone and with a pleased little laugh, "for 'their name islegion'; the loveliest pictures and statuary in the Fine Arts Building,and a great variety of curious and interesting things in MachineryHall. We went up to the gallery there and took a ride in the travellingcrane. It is like an elevated railroad, is moved by electricity, andruns the whole length of the building, twenty or thirty feet above thefloor. We stepped in at one end and sat down upon chairs ranged alongthe front edge, and it was really entertaining to watch the crowds ofpeople moving along the floors below, and to get at last a glance atthe exhibits."

  "Exhibits!" echoed Grace. "Of what kind? Oh, machines, of course! But Ishould hardly expect them to be very interesting."

  "Machines for making ice cream and candy would interest you,wouldn't they?" asked Lulu. "Perhaps the hot baths, too; though Isuppose you wouldn't care much about printing-presses, rock-drills,sewing-machines, washing-machines, looms, and the like. I own I didn'tcare over much for them myself. But in the restful, cooling, breezyride, with nothing to do but watch the goings on of other people, anda glance now and then at something interesting as we glided past it, Idid find a good deal of enjoyment. Ah," drawing out her pretty littlewatch and glancing at its face, "I must excuse myself now and go tomy stateroom; for I see it is nearly meal time, and my hair and dresscertainly need some attention;" and with that she left them.

  Mr. Dinsmore and the captain, wishing to look at some exhibits in whichthe ladies took but little interest, went ashore again early in theevening; leaving Mrs. Dinsmore, Mrs. Travilla, and the younger onesoccupying the comfortable seats on the _Dolphin's_ deck, and enjoyingthe cool evening breeze and the somewhat distant view of the beautiesof the brilliantly illuminated White City, as well as that of thestarry heavens above them.

  Violet had gone down to the cabin with her children to see them safelyin bed, and for some minutes no one left in the little group behind hadspoken. But presently Grace broke the silence.

  "I have just been thinking what a wonderful change has come over thispart of our country since the war of 1812. I remember that historytells us there was only a fort and a trading post here then, where nowthis great city stands, and that it was destroyed. Grandma Elsie,don't you want to tell us the whole story?" she concluded in a coaxingtone.

  "I am willing, if you all wish it," was the sweet-toned reply,immediately followed by an eager assent from everyone present.

  "Well, then, my dears," she said, "to begin at the beginning--thisspot, we are told, was first visited by a white man in 1674. He wasa French Jesuit called Father Marquette. He built a cabin there andplanted a missionary station. Eleven years afterward his cabin wasreplaced by a fort. I do not know how long that fort stood, but Lossingtells us that in 1796 a mulatto from St. Domingo found his way to thatfar-off wilderness, and that the Indians said of him 'the first whiteman who settled here was a negro.' He did not stay very long, however,and the improvements he had made fell into the hands of the next comer,who was a native of Quebec named John Kinzie.

  "He was an enterprising trader with the Indians, and for twenty yearsthe only white man in northern Illinois except a few American soldiers.It was in 1804 that he made Chicago his home, and on the Fourth of Julyof that year a fort our government had been building there was formallydedicated and called Fort Dearborn, in honor of the then Secretary ofWar. It stood on a slight elevation on the south bank of the ChicagoRiver, about half a mile from its mouth, and directly opposite, on thenorth bank, stood Mr. Kinzie's dwelling. It was a modest mansion begunby Jean Baptiste, and enlarged by Mr. Kinzie. He had some Lombardypoplars planted in front within an enclosed yard, and at the back afine garden and growing orchard.

  "There he had lived in peace and prosperity, esteemed and confided inby the surrounding Indians, for eight years, when in June of 1812 warwas declared by our government with Great Britain. Of course you allknow and remember what were the causes of that second struggle with ourmother country?"

  "Indeed we do, mother," exclaimed Walter. "She interfered with ourcommerce, capturing every American vessel bound to, or returningfrom a port where her commerce was not favored; and worse still, wascontinually seizing our sailors and forcing them into her service;depriving us of our God-given rights and making slaves of freemen. Ifever a war was justifiable on one side that one was on ours. Is it notso?"

  "I think it is, my son," replied Grandma Elsie, smiling slightly at thelad's heat.

  "Was Fort Dearborn strong and well built, mamma?" queried Rosie.

  "Yes; it was strongly picketed, had a block-house at each of two angleson the southern side, on the north side a sally-port and covered waythat led
down to the river for the double purpose of obtaining waterduring a siege and of having a way of escape should that be desirableat any time--and was strongly picketed.

  "The fort was built by Major Whistler, his soldiers dragging allthe timber to the spot because they had no oxen. Some material wasfurnished from Fort Wayne, but so economically was the work done thatthe fortress did not cost the government fifty dollars.

  "But to return to my story--the garrison there at the time of thedeclaration of war consisted of fifty-four men. The only otherresidents of the post at that time were the wives of Captain Heald andLieutenant Helm, the second in command, those of some of the soldiers,a few Canadians with their wives and children, and Mr. Kinzie and hisfamily.

  "They were all on the most friendly terms with the principal tribesof Indians in that neighborhood--the Pottawatomies and Winnebagoes,yet they could not win them from their attachment for the British, whoyearly made them large presents as bribes to secure their alliance.Portions of their tribes had been engaged in the battle of Tippecanoe,fought the previous autumn, and since that some of the leading chiefshad seemed sullen, and suspicions of intended hostility on their partat times troubled the minds of the officers of the fort.

  "One day in the spring of 1812 two Indians of the Calumet band were atthe fort, and seeing Mrs. Helm and Mrs. Heald playing at battledore,one of them, named Nan-non-gee, turned to the interpreter with theremark, 'The white chiefs' wives are amusing themselves very much; itwill not be long before they will be living in our cornfields.'"

  "Oh!" cried Grace, "I should think that ought to have been enough towarn the officers of the fort to make every preparation to repel anassault by the Indians."

  "Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "but Heald seems to have been strangelyblind and deaf to every kind of warning.

  "On the evening of the 7th of April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat by hisfireside playing his violin, his children dancing to the music, whentheir mother, who had been attending a sick neighbor, a Mrs. Burns,living half a mile above the fort, came rushing wildly in crying out:'The Indians! the Indians!' 'What? where?' exclaimed her husband. 'Upat Lee's, killing and scalping!' she gasped in reply, and went on totell that the alarm had been given by a boy, the son of Mr. Lee, and adischarged soldier who had been working for them. They had shouted thedreadful tidings across the river to the Burns family, as they ran downthe farther side, Mr. Lee's place being between two and three milesfarther up the stream.

  "Not a moment was to be lost. Mr. Kinzie hurried his family into twopirogues moored in front of his house, and hastened with them acrossthe river and into the fort. The alarm had reached there also, and ascow with Ensign Ronan and six men started at once up the river torescue the Burns family. Also a cannon was fired to give notice ofdanger to a party of soldiers who were out fishing. Mrs. Burns and herfamily, including an infant not yet a day old, were taken safely to thefort."

  "I hope those soldiers got back safely too," said Grace.

  "Yes; they were two miles above Lee's; it was already dark when theyreturned, and in passing his house they came upon the bodies ofmurdered and scalped persons, which were the next day recovered andburied near the fort. It was afterward learned that the scalping partywere Winnebagoes from Rock River, who had come with the intention ofkilling every white person outside of the fort, but were frightenedaway by the sound of the cannon before they had finished their fiendishwork; so fled back to their homes.

  "In those days an agency house stood upon the esplanade, about twentyrods west from the fort, and in it all the whites not belonging to thegarrison now took refuge. It was an old-fashioned log-house, with apassage through the centre, and piazzas in front and rear extending thewhole length of the building. These were planked up, port-holes cut inthe barricades and sentinels were posted there every night.

  "Hostile Indians hovered around the post for some time, helpingthemselves to whatever they could lay their hands upon, but at lengthdisappeared, and for a while there was no further alarm.

  "On the 7th of August, toward evening, a friendly Pottawatomie chief,named Win-ne-meg, or the Catfish, came to Chicago from Fort Wayneas the bearer of a despatch from General Hull to Captain Heald. Inthat despatch Hull told of the declaration of war with England, theinvasion of Canada, and the loss of Mackinack. It also ordered CaptainHeald to evacuate Fort Dearborn, if practicable; and if he did so todistribute all the United States property there among the Indians inthe neighborhood."

  "Including guns, powder, and balls with which to kill the whites!" saidLucilla. "I think I should have concluded from such an order that Hullmust be either a traitor or an idiot."

  "His idea," said Grandma Elsie, "seems to have been to make apeace-offering to the savages to induce them to refrain from joiningthe British, then menacing Detroit.

  "Win-ne-meg, who had some knowledge of the contents of the missivehe brought, begged Mr. Kinzie, with whom he was intimate, to adviseCaptain Heald not to evacuate the fort, assuring him it would prove adifficult and dangerous movement; for the Indians had already receivedinformation from Tecumseh of the disasters to the American arms and thewithdrawal of Hull's army from Canada, and were growing insolent andrestless. The fort was well supplied with ammunition and provisionssufficient to last for six months; by the end of that time relief mightbe sent, and why not hold out till then? But if Heald was resolved toevacuate, it had better be done at once, before the Indians should beinformed of the order, and so be prepared to make an attack.

  "Win-ne-meg's advice in that case was to leave the stores as they were,allowing them to make distribution for themselves; for while they wereengaged in that business the white people might make their way insafety to Fort Wayne.

  "Mr. Kinzie perceived that this was wise advice, as did the officersof the fort, with the exception of Heald, who would not listen to it,but expressed himself as resolved to yield strict obedience to Hull'sorders as to evacuation and the distribution of the public property.

  "The next morning Hull's order was read to the troops, and Heald tookthe whole responsibility of carrying it out. His officers expected tobe summoned to a council, but they were not. Toward evening they calledupon the commander and remonstrated with him. They said that the marchmust necessarily be slow on account of the women, children, and infirmpersons, therefore, under the circumstances, exceedingly perilous. Theyreminded him that Hull's order left it to his discretion to go or tostay; adding that they thought it much wiser to strengthen the fort,defy the savages, and endure a siege until help could reach them.

  "But Heald replied that he should expect the censure of the governmentif he remained, for special orders had been issued by the WarDepartment that no post should be surrendered without battle havingbeen given by the assailed; and his force was entirely too small tohazard an engagement with the Indians. He added that he had fullconfidence in the professions of friendship of many chiefs about him,and he would call them together, make the required distribution, thentake up his march for Fort Wayne."

  "And did the other officers submit to him then, Grandma Elsie?" askedGrace.

  "Yes; my dear, he was in authority, and I presume they were too loyalto oppose him. But being determined to abandon the fort, he should havedone so at once; for delay was certainly increasing the danger, theIndians becoming more unruly every hour; yet he procrastinated and didnot call them together for the final arrangements for two or three days.

  "At last that was done and they met near the fort on the afternoon ofthe 12th, when Heald held a farewell council with them. He invited hisofficers to join him in that, but they refused. In some way they hadbeen informed that treachery was intended on the part of the Indians,that they had planned to murder them and then destroy those who werein the fort. Therefore they remained inside the pickets and opened aport-hole of one of the block-houses so that the Indians could see acannon pointing directly toward their group, thus protecting CaptainHeald. It had the desired effect; no effort was made by the savagesto carry out their treacherous design, they profes
sed friendship, andaccepted Heald's offers to distribute among them the goods in thepublic store--blankets, calicoes, broadcloths, paints, and other thingssuch as Indians fancy."

  "Beads among them, I presume," remarked Rosie.

  "Very likely," said her mother, "as they have always been a favoriteornament with the Indians. The distribution of those goods, the armsand ammunition and such of the provisions as would not be needed by thegarrison, was to take place next day; then the whites were to leavethe fort and set out upon their journey through the wilderness, thePottawatomies engaging to furnish them with an escort, on condition ofbeing liberally rewarded on their arrival at Fort Wayne."

  "Oh, but I should have been afraid to trust them!" exclaimed Grace,shuddering at the very thought of the risk.

  "Mr. Kinzie, who knew the Indians so well, was of your opinion," saidGrandma Elsie, "and earnestly remonstrated with Captain Heald; tellinghim they were not to be trusted in the face of such temptations.Especially he urged him not to put arms and ammunition in theirhands, as that would fearfully increase their ability to carry on themurderous raids which had become so frequent and caused so great terrorin the frontier settlements.

  "He succeeded in convincing Heald that he had been very foolish inmaking that promise, and he resolved to violate his treaty so far asthe arms and ammunition were concerned. That very evening somethingoccurred that certainly ought to have opened Heald's eyes and led himto shut the gates of the fort and defend it to the last extremity.Black Partridge, a chief who had thus far always been friendly to thewhites, and who was a man of great influence too, came to Heald in aquiet way and said, 'Father, I come to deliver to you the medal I wear.It was given me by the Americans, and I have long worn it in token ofour mutual friendship. But our young men are resolved to imbrue theirhands in the blood of the white people. I cannot restrain them, andI will not wear a token of peace while I am compelled to act as anenemy.'"

  "And did Heald actually disregard such a warning as that?" exclaimedEvelyn Leland. "I really do not see how it could have been made plainerthat the purpose was to attack and murder all in the fort as soon asthey were fairly in their power."

  "Nor do I," said Grandma Elsie; "yet Heald seems to have paid no moreattention to it than to the previous warnings.

  "The next morning, August 13, was bright and cool. The Indians camein great numbers to receive their promised presents. Only the goodsin the store were distributed that day, and in the evening BlackPartridge said to Mr. Griffith, the interpreter, 'Linden birds havebeen singing in my ears to-day; be careful on the march you are goingto take.' This was repeated to Captain Heald, but solemn warning as itevidently was, he paid no more attention to it than he had to previousones. He seems to have been perfectly infatuated, and how he couldever forgive himself in after years I cannot see. He went steadily onin the execution of his plans, of which, as I have told you, all theother officers, Mr. Kinzie, and friendly Indian chiefs disapproved.That night he had all the guns but such as his party could make use ofin their journey--gunscrews, flint, shot, and everything belonging tothe use of firearms--thrown into the well. This was done at midnight,when the sentinels were posted and the Indians in their camp; at least,they were supposed to be, but the night was dark, Indians can movenoiselessly, and some whose suspicions had been aroused crept to thespot and made themselves acquainted with what was going on. Liquor andpowder, too, were poured into the well, and a good deal of alcohol,belonging to Mr. Kinzie, into the river; also a portion of the powderand liquor of the fort was thrown into a canal that came up fromthe river far under the covered way. But the water of the river wassluggish, and so great a quantity of liquor had been thrown into itthat in the morning it was like strong grog; and powder could be seenfloating on the surface."

  "And of course the Indians, who loved liquor, were angry when they sawhow it had been wasted, instead of given to them," remarked Grace.

  "Yes; their complaints and threats were loud, and now the littlegarrison had no choice but to brave the danger of exposing themselvesto their vengeance, for it was no longer possible to hold the fort,and they must set out upon their perilous journey. Ah! if Heald hadbut been less obstinately bent upon having his own way--more willingto listen to the advice and remonstrances of his officers, Kinzie, whounderstood the Indians so well, and the warning of the friendly chiefs,much suffering might have been averted and valuable lives saved.

  "Mrs. Heald had an uncle, the brave Captain William Wells, who hadpassed most of his life among the Miami Indians and been made one oftheir chiefs. He had heard at Fort Wayne of Hull's order to evacuateFort Dearborn, and knowing of the hostility of the Pottawatomies,had made a rapid march across the country with a party of his Miamisto reinforce Heald and help him to hold and defend the fort. But hearrived just too late; the means of defence had already been destroyed,and there was no choice but to attempt the perilous march through thewilderness.

  "Nine o'clock of the 15th was the hour set for the evacuation, andit was already evident that the Indians intended to massacre thewhites--men, women, and children. Nor could they entertain any hopeof being able to defend themselves, so overwhelming was the number oftheir savage foes, 500 warriors against 54 soldiers, 12 civilians, and3 or 4 women."

  "But there were the Miamis with Wells, mamma," remarked Rosie.

  "Who proved of no assistance," returned Grandma Elsie. "Lossing tellsus that when, at nine o'clock, the gates were thrown open, and themarch began, it was like a funeral procession. The band struck up theDead March in 'Saul.' Captain Wells, with his friendly Miamis, tookthe lead, his face blackened with gunpowder in token of his impendingfate. His niece, Mrs. Heald, with her husband, came next, while theothers, I presume, followed in the order of their rank."

  "Were the Kinzies with them?" asked Grace.

  "Mr. Kinzie was, hoping by his personal influence to be able to soften,if not avert their impending fate. His family had left in a boat, incharge of a friendly Indian who was to take them to his other tradingstation, where Niles, Mich., now stands. Poor Mrs. Kinzie! having adaughter among the seemingly doomed ones, how terribly anxious anddistressed she must have been!" added Grandma Elsie in tones tremulouswith feeling. A moment of silence followed, then she went on with hernarrative.