Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-06-05
His Friend. .
Partner
and
Bodyguard

pr1Sdue waS many m11eS IN advance OF
the brigade when it stopped in the grove
at noon for refreshments, when five or
six Sac and Fox Indians came near.
Many of the white men broke after them.
The Indians decoyed them about two
miles from the little cabins in the grove,
when suddenly up sprang from the tall
prairie grass $50 painted warriors and
raised such a yell that our friends sup
posed them to be more numerous than
Black Hawks whole clan and, instantly
filed with CONSERVATION, commenced to
retreat. But the savages soon began to
spear them, making it necessary to halt
in the flight and give them fire, at which
time they killed two Indians. one Of them
being a young chief gayly appareled.
Again in the utmost horror, such as saw
age yells alone can produce, they fed for
the little fort in the grove. Having
arrived, they found the balance of
their company. The field of this action
The dead still lay uuburied until after we
arrived at sunrise the next day. The
forted men, fifty strong, had not venturel
to go out until they saw us, when they
rejoiced greatly that friends and not
dreaded enemies had come. They looked
like men just out of cholera = having
passed through the cramping stage. The
only part we could then act was to seek
the lost men and with hatchetS and hands
to bury them.
Lincoln Walks Home.
We buried the white men and trailed the
dead young chief where he had been
drawn On the grass half mile and con-
cealed in the thiclet. Those who traiIed
this once noble warrior and found him
were Lincoln, 1 think, Wyatt and myself
By order of General Atkinson our COM
pany started on this expedition one even
ing, Travelled all night and reached Gra-
tots at sunrise. A few hours after Gen
eral Posey came up to the fort with his
brigade of nearly a thousand men, when
he positively refused to pursue the In.
dians, being strongly solicited by Captain
Early, Lincoln and others, squads of In
dians still showing themselves in a men
acing manner one and a half miles dis
tant -
Our company was disbanded at White
water Wis, short time before the mas
sacre at Bad Axe by General Henry, and
most of our men started for home on the
following morning, but it SO happened
that the night previous to starting on
this long trip Lincoln's horse and mine
were stolen. probably by soldiers Of our
own army, and we were thus compelled
to start outside the cavalcade, but 1
laughed at our fate, and he joked at it,
and we all started off merrily, but the
generous men Of our company walked and
rode by turns with us, and we Jared about
equal with the rest.
Thus we came to Peoria. Here we
bought a canoe In which we two padded
our way to Pelin. The other members of
our company, separating in various di-
rections, stimulated by the proximity of
home, could never have consented to
travel at our usual tardy mode. AtSPekin
Lincoln made oar with which to row
our little boat. One of US pulled away at
the one oar while the other sat astern to
steer or prevent circling.
On the next day after we left Pekin we
overhauled a raft of saw logs, with two
men afioat on it to urge it on with poles
and to guide 1t in the channel. We pulled
up to them and went on the raft, where
we were made welcome by various dem
onstrations, especially by that of an in
vitation to feast on fish, corn bread,
eggs, butter and coffee, just prepared for
our benefit. OF these good things we ate
almost immoderately, for it was the only
warm meal we had made for several days.
While preparing it and after dinner Lin
coin entertained them, and they enter
tained US for a couple of hours very
amusingly.
This slow mode of travel was at the
time new mode, and the novelty made 1t
for short time agreeable. We descended
the Illinois to Havana, where we sold our
boat and again set out the old way, over
the sand ridges for Petersburg. AS we
drew near home the impulse became
stronger and urged us on amazingly. The
long strides of Lincoln, often slipping
back in the loose sand six inches every
step, were just right for me, and he was
greatly diverted when he noticed me be-
hind him stepping along in his tracks to
keep from slipping.