The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-01-22


three hundred were warriors. On this rock they
considered themselves safe from their enemies,
and they offered up prayers and sang songs to
the great Mantle for their delverance. Morn.
ing came and with it q clear sky and bright
sun, and from their elevated position they look
ed down on their enemies encamped on the great
meadow below Soon the allied forces were In
motion, moving on the town for the purpose Of
completing their bloody work, but discovering
that their intended victims had 1ed, they burned
the town. forded the river at the rapids, sur
rounded Starved Rock, and prepared themselves
for ascending it to complete their victory.
After carefully examining all sides OF the natural
fort and ascending the only accessible point,
they concluded to wait till night, and under cover
OF darkness make an attempt to surprise their
foes and gain the summit OF the rock before the
Illinois knew Of their intention. Two hundred
selected warriors were to make the trial, and at
u given signal, in perfect silence they com
menced their march. Not a sousd WAS heard
save the moaning OF the winds as they swayed
the trees that grew upon its summit; not even
the breathing OF those who had been laboring
up the ascent WAS pcrccptible; no sound above
indicated that their movements were observed.
The leader warly crcpt towards the barricadc
and raised his head above 1t to see the position
of the defenders. That look was his last. A
blow from a tomahawk, u hurried war-cry, were
simultaneous, and quickly following the falling
body OF the chief came a huge and Jagged rock,
whirling and crushing all before It.. With it's
vast bulk it completely filled the passage, and
rolled over the thick mass of human beings
which INSTRUCTED its downward course. Onward
| it went, crushing out the blood and lives Of the
dcfenscless sayages, and when its work Of death
was done, with a tremendous bound 1t buried it.
self in the sand at the bottom of the preciplce.
A moment Of awful stiffness followed, and then
one wild shout Of JOY arose on the midnight air
from those on the summit, who were thus deiv-
cred from death. Then was heard the low moan
ing OF the wounded ones, who; with savage
ferocity, were cast down from the height, and
the morning sun arose upon huge pile of man
ged bodies and broken limbs.
After SO crushing blow and the loss of SO
many brave warriors, the attacking forces aban-
doned the assault and retired from the bloody
scene. Day after day passed away and mornings
and evenings came and went, and still tie Hi
nois continued To lie guarded 10y their enemies,
leaving them no opportunity 10 escape from
their rocky prison, and that which first was
thought to be haven of safety, now was likely
to be their tomb. When they took refuge on
the rock they carried with them a quantity of
provisions, but this supply was now exhausted
and starvation stared them in the face. Famsh-
ing with thirst ana starving with hunger, they
spent their time, and as days and nights passed
away, the noble Illinois would sit on the rock, |
gazing on the great meadow below, over which
they had often roamed at pleasure, and they
sighed for freedom once more The site Of their
town was in plain view, bat instead Of lodges and
camping tents, with people passing to and fro
as in former days, it was now lonely, desolate
waste, blackened by fire and covered with the
swollen and CHASTITY remains of the slain. Buz-
yards were hoveriug reund, flying back and forth
over the desolate town, and feastng on the dead
bodies AT night they looked upon the silent
stars toward the spirit land, and in their wild
Imagination they saw angels waiting to receive
them. While sleeping they dreamed of roaming
over bluffs and prairies in pursuit of game or
cantering their ponies across the plains, but on
awakening they found it was all delusion.
Their sleep was disturbed by the means and
signs OF suffering, and when morning came 1t
was but the harbngcr of another day of torture.
From their rocky prison they could see the ripe
corn in the fields and the Buffalo grazing on the
plaire. but while in sight Of plenty they were
furnishing for food Below them at the base of
the rock flowed the river, hut as its ripping
waters gded softly by it appeared in mockery
to their thirst They had now been twelve days
on the rock-their provisions long since ex-
Stn1 nd anr ly l,tp tbn la
crying for food and drink. The mother would
hold the infant to her breast, but the fountain
that supported life had dried up, and the little
sufferer would turn its head away and cry.
Young maidens, whose cOmely FORMS sparkling
eyes and blooming cheeks had been the pride Of
their tribe, were now pale, feeble and emaciated,
and with feeling of resignation they looked
upward to their home beyond the milky way.
The last lingering hope was now abandoned,
hunger and thirst had done their dreadful work;
the cries Of the young and lamentations Of the .
aged were heard only in whispers. Old white.
barred chiefs, reduced almost TO skeletons, crept
away under the branches of trees and breathed
their last. Proud young warriors preferred to
than surrender themselves to the scalping
knives of victorious enemy. But now nearly
all were dead or dying. few of the more
hardy warriors for time Toasted on the dead,
eating the flesh and drinking the blood as soon
rs life was extinct. Finally party Of the allied
forces assembled the rock and tomabawked all
that survived the famine. They sca'ped old and
young and left their remains to decay on the
rock, where their bones were seen for many
wears afterwards, but have long since returned
to dust. And thus starved Rock" was baptized
by the blood Of the Illinois, and with that hap.
tism persisted the noblest tribe that ever roamed
the forest. j. ID. II.
ShIIoh's Consumption Cure. |,