[From _Sketches of Western Adventure_ (Cincinnati, 1838)]
All ran hastily to the picketing, and beheld a small party of Indians,
exposed to open view, firing, yelling, and making the most furious
gestures. The appearance was so singular, and so different from their
usual manner of fighting, that some of the more wary and experienced of
the garrison instantly pronounced it a decoy party, and restrained the
young men from sallying out and attacking them, as some of them were
strongly disposed to do. The opposite side of the fort was instantly
manned, and several breaches in the picketing rapidly repaired. Their
greatest distress arose from the prospect of suffering for water. The
more experienced of the garrison felt satisfied that a powerful party
was in ambuscade near the spring, but at the same time they supposed
that the Indians would not unmask themselves, until the firing upon the
opposite side of the fort was returned with such warmth, as to induce
the belief that the feint had succeeded.
Acting upon this impression, and yielding to the urgent necessity of
the case, they summoned all the women, without exception, and
explaining to them the circumstances in which they were placed, and
the improbability that any injury would be offered them, until the
firing had been returned from the opposite side of the fort, they
urged them to go in a body to the spring, and each bring up a bucket
full of water. Some of the ladies, as was natural, had no relish for
the undertaking, and asked why the men could not bring water as well
as themselves, observing that _they_ were not bullet-proof, and that
the Indians made no distinction between male and female scalps!
To this it was answered, that women were in the habit of bringing
water every morning to the fort, and that if the Indians saw them
engaged as usual, it would induce them to believe that their ambuscade
was undiscovered, and that they would not unmask themselves for the
sake of firing at a few women, when they hoped, by remaining concealed
a few moments longer, to obtain complete possession of the fort. That
if men should go down to the spring, the Indians would immediately
suspect that something was wrong, would despair of succeeding by
ambuscade, and would instantly rush upon them, follow them into the
fort, or shoot them down at the spring. The decision was soon over.
A few of the boldest declared their readiness to brave the danger, and
the younger and more timid rallying in the rear of these veterans,
they all marched down in a body to the spring, within point blank shot
of more than five hundred Indian warriors! Some of the girls could not
help betraying symptoms of terror, but the married women, in general,
moved with a steadiness and composure, which completely deceived the
Indians. Not a shot was fired. The party were permitted to fill their
buckets, one after another, without interruption, and although their
steps became quicker and quicker, on their return, and when near the
gate of the fort, degenerated into a rather unmilitary celerity,
attended with some little crowding in passing the gate, yet not more
than one-fifth of the water was spilled, and the eyes of the youngest
had not dilated to more than double their ordinary size.