WILLIAM S. HAMILTON--KELLOGG'S GROVE.
The next morning, after a cheerful breakfast, at which we were joined by
the Rev. Mr. Kent, of Galena, we prepared for our journey. I had
reconciled my husband to continuing our route towards Chicago, by
assuring him that I felt as fresh and bright as when I first set out
from home.
There seemed some apprehension, however, that we might have difficulty
in "striking the trail" to Hamilton's _diggings_, our next point of
destination.
The directions we received were certainly obscure. We were to pursue a
given trail for a certain number of miles, when we should come to a
crossing into which we were to turn, taking an easterly direction; after
a time, this would bring us to a deep trail leading straight to
Hamilton's. In this open country there are no landmarks. One elevation
is so exactly like another, that if you lose your trail there is almost
as little hope of regaining it as of finding a pathway in the midst of
the ocean.[15]
The trail, it must be remembered, is not a broad highway, but a narrow
path, deeply indented by the hoofs of the horses on which the Indians
travel in single file. So deeply is it sunk in the sod which covers the
prairies, that it is difficult, sometimes, to distinguish it at a
distance of a few rods.
It was new ground to Mr. Kinzie, whose journeys from the Portage to
Chicago had hitherto been made in the direct route by Kosh-ko-nong. He
therefore obliged Mr. Morrison to repeat the directions again and again,
though Plante, our guide, swaggered and talked big, averring that "he
knew every hill and stream and point of woods from that spot to
Chicago."
We had not proceeded many miles on our journey, however, before we
discovered that Monsieur Plante was profoundly ignorant of the country,
so that Mr. Kinzie was obliged to take the lead himself, and make his
way as he was best able, according to the directions he had received.
Nothing, however, like the "cross trails" we had been promised met our
view, and the path on which we had set out diverged so much from what we
knew to be the right direction, that we were at length compelled to
abandon it altogether.
We travelled the livelong day, barely making a halt at noon to bait our
horses and refresh ourselves with a luncheon. The ride was as gloomy and
desolate as could well be imagined. A rolling prairie, unvaried by
forest or stream--hillock rising after hillock, at every ascent of which
we vainly hoped to see a distant fringe of "_timber_." But the same
cheerless, unbounded prospect everywhere met the eye, diversified only
here and there by the oblong openings, like gigantic graves, which
marked an unsuccessful search for indications of a lead-mine.
So great was our anxiety to recover our trail, for the weather was
growing more cold, and the wind more sharp and piercing, that we were
not tempted to turn from our course even by the appearance, more than
once, of a gaunt prairie-wolf, peering over the nearest rising-ground
and seeming to dare us to an encounter. The Frenchmen, it is true, would
instinctively give a shout and spur on their horses, while the hounds,
Kelda and Cora, would rush to the chase; but the bourgeois soon called
them back, with a warning that we must attend strictly to the
prosecution of our journey. Just before sunset we crossed, with some
difficulty, a muddy stream, which was bordered by a scanty belt of
trees, making a tolerable encamping-ground; and of this we gladly
availed ourselves, although we knew not whether it was near or remote
from the place we were in search of.
We had ridden at least fifty miles since leaving Morrison's, yet I was
sensible of very little fatigue; there was, however, a vague feeling of
discomfort at the idea of being lost in this wild, cold region,
altogether different from anything I had ever before experienced. The
encouraging tones of my husband's voice, however, "Cheer up, wifie--we
will find the trail to-morrow," served to dissipate all uneasiness.
The exertions of the men soon made our "camp" comfortable,
notwithstanding the difficulty of driving the tent-pins into the frozen
ground, and the want of trees sufficiently large to make a _rousing_
fire. The place was a _stony side-hill,_ as it would be called in New
England, where such things abound; but we were not disposed to be
fastidious, so we ate our salt ham and toasted our bread, and lent a
pleased ear to the chatter of our Frenchmen, who could not sufficiently
admire the heroism of "Madame John" amid the vicissitudes that befell
her.
The wind, which at bed-time was sufficiently high to be uncomfortable,
increased during the night. It snowed heavily, and we were every moment
in dread that the tent would be carried away; but the matter was settled
differently by the snapping of the poles, and the falling of the whole,
with its superincumbent weight of snow, in a mass upon us.
Mr. Kinzie roused up his men, and at their head he sallied into the
neighboring wood to cut a new set of poles, leaving me to bear the
burden of the whole upon my shoulders, my only safety from the storm
being to keep snugly housed beneath the canvas.
With some difficulty a sort of support was at length adjusted for the
tent-covering, which answered our purpose tolerably well until the break
of day, when our damp and miserable condition made us very glad to rise
and hang round the fire until breakfast was dispatched, and the horses
once more saddled for our journey.
The prospect was not an encouraging one. Around us was an unbroken sheet
of snow. We had no compass, and the air was so obscured by the driving
sleet, that it was often impossible to tell in which direction the sun
was. I tied my husband's silk pocket-handkerchief over my veil, to
protect my face from the wind and icy particles with which the air was
filled, and which cut like a razor; but, although shielded in every way
that circumstances rendered possible, I suffered intensely from the
cold.
We pursued our way, mile after mile, entering every point of woods, in
hopes of meeting with, at least, some Indian wigwam at which we could
gain intelligence. Every spot was solitary and deserted; not even the
trace of a recent fire, to cheer us with the hope of human beings within
miles of us.
Suddenly, a shout from the foremost of the party made each heart bound
with joy.
"_Une clôture! une clôture!_" (A fence! a fence!)
It was almost like life to the dead.
We spurred on, and indeed perceived a few straggling rails crowning a
rising ground at no great distance.
Never did music sound so sweet as the crowing of a cock which at this
moment saluted our ears.
Following the course of the inclosure down the opposite slope, we came
upon a group of log cabins, low, shabby, and unpromising in their
appearance, but a most welcome shelter from the pelting storm.
"Whose cabins are these?" asked Mr. Kinzie, of a man who was cutting
wood at the door of one.
"Hamilton's," was his reply; and he stepped forward at once to assist us
to alight, hospitality being a matter of course in these wild regions.
We were shown into the most comfortable-looking of the buildings. A
large fire was burning in the clay chimney, and the room was of a genial
warmth, notwithstanding the apertures, many inches in width, beside the
doors and windows. A woman in a tidy calico dress, and shabby black silk
cap trimmed with still shabbier lace, rose from her seat beside a sort
of bread-trough, which fulfilled the office of cradle to a fine, fat
baby. She made room for us at the fire, but was either too timid or too
ignorant to relieve me of wrappings and defences, now heavy with the
snow.
I soon contrived, with my husband's aid, to disembarrass myself of them;
and, having seen me comfortably disposed of, and in a fair way to be
thawed after my freezing ride, he left me, to see after his men and
horses.
He was a long time absent, and I expected he would return accompanied by
our host; but when he reappeared it was to tell me, laughing, that Mr.
Hamilton hesitated to present himself before me, being unwilling that
one who had been acquainted with his family at the East should see him
in his present mode of life. However, this feeling apparently wore off,
for before dinner he came in and was introduced to me, and was as
agreeable and polite as the son of Alexander Hamilton would naturally
be.
The housekeeper, who was the wife of one of the miners, prepared us a
plain, comfortable dinner, and a table as long as the dimensions of the
cabin would admit was set out, the end nearest the fire being covered
with somewhat nicer furniture and more delicate fare than the remaining
portion.
The blowing of a horn was the signal for the entrance of ten or twelve
miners, who took their places below us at the table. They were the
roughest-looking set of men I ever beheld, and their language was as
uncouth as their persons. They wore hunting-shirts, trowsers, and
moccasins of deer-skin, the former being ornamented at the seams with a
fringe of the same, while a colored belt around the waist, in which was
stuck a large hunting-knife, gave each the appearance of a brigand.
Mr. Hamilton, although so much their superior, was addressed by them
uniformly as "Uncle Billy;" and I could not but fancy there was
something desperate about them, that it was necessary to propitiate by
this familiarity. This feeling was further confirmed by the remarks of
one of the company who lingered behind after the rest of the _gang_ had
taken their departure. He had learned that we came from Fort Winnebago,
and, having informed us that "he was a discharged soldier, and would
like to make some inquiries about his old station and comrades," he
unceremoniously seated himself and commenced questioning us.
The bitterness with which he spoke of his former officers made me quite
sure he was a deserter, and I rather suspected he had made his escape
from the service in consequence of some punishment. His countenance was
fairly distorted as he spoke of Captain H., to whose company he had
belonged. "There is a man in the mines," said he, "who has been in his
hands, and if he ever gets a chance to come within shot of him, I guess
the captain will remember it. He knows well enough he darsn't set his
foot in the diggings. And there's T. is not much better. Everybody
thought it a great pity that fellow's gun snapped when he so nearly
_had_ him at Green Bay."
Having delivered himself of these sentiments, he marched out, to my
great relief.
Mr. Hamilton passed most of the afternoon with us; for the storm raged
so without, that to proceed on our journey was out of the question. He
gave us many pleasant anecdotes and reminiscences of his early life in
New York, and of his adventures since he had come to the Western
wilderness. When obliged to leave us for awhile, he furnished us with
some books to entertain us, the most interesting of which was the
biography of his father.
Could this illustrious man have foreseen in what a scene--the dwelling
of his son--this book was to be one day perused, what would have been
his sensations?
The most amusing part of our experience was yet to come. I had been
speculating, as evening approached, on our prospects for the night's
accommodation. As our pale, melancholy-looking landlady and her fat baby
were evidently the only specimens of the feminine gender about the
establishment, it was hardly reasonable to suppose that any of the other
cabins contained wherewithal to furnish us a comfortable lodging, and
the one in which we were offered nothing of the sort to view, but two
beds, uncurtained, extended against the farther wall. My doubts were
after a time resolved, by observing the hostess stretch a cord between
the two, on which she hung some petticoats and extra garments, by way
of a partition, after which she invited us to occupy one of them.
My only preparation was, to wrap my cloak around me and lie down with my
face to the wall; but the good people were less ceremonious, for at the
distance of scarcely two feet, we could not be mistaken in the sound of
their garments being, not "laid aside," but whipped over the
partition-wall between us.
Our waking thoughts, however, were only those of thankfulness for so
comfortable a lodging after the trials and fatigues we had undergone;
and even these were of short duration, for our eyes were soon closed in
slumber.
The next day's sun rose clear and bright. Refreshed and invigorated, we
looked forward with pleasure to a recommencement of our journey,
confident of meeting no more mishaps by the way. Mr. Hamilton kindly
offered to accompany us to his next neighbor's, the trifling distance of
twenty-five miles. From Kellogg's to Ogie's Ferry, on the Rock River,
the road being much travelled, we should be in no danger, Mr. H. said,
of again losing our way.
The miner who owned the wife and baby, and who, consequently, was
somewhat more humanized than his comrades, in taking leave of us "wished
us well out of the country, and that we might never have occasion to
return to it!"
"I pity a body," said he, "when I see them making such an awful mistake
as to come out this way; for comfort _never touched_ this Western
country."
We found Mr. Hamilton as agreeable a companion as on the preceding day,
but a most desperate rider. He galloped on at such a rate that, had I
not exchanged my pony for the fine, noble Jerry, I should have been in
danger of being left behind.
Well mounted as we all were, he sometimes nearly distanced us. We were
now among the branches of the Pickatonick, and the country had lost its
prairie character and become rough and broken. We went dashing on,
sometimes down ravines, sometimes through narrow passes, where, as I
followed, I left fragments of my veil upon the projecting and interwoven
branches. Once my hat became entangled, and, had not my husband sprung
to my rescue, I must have shared the fate of Absalom, Jerry's ambition
to keep his place in the race making it probable he would do as did the
mule who was under the unfortunate prince.
There was no halting upon the route, and, as we kept the same pace until
three o'clock in the afternoon, it was beyond a question that when we
reached "Kellogg's" we had travelled at least thirty miles. One of my
greatest annoyances during the ride had been the behavior of the little
beast Brunet. He had been hitherto used as a saddle-horse, and had been
accustomed to a station in the file near the guide or leader. He did not
relish being put in the background as a pack-horse, and accordingly,
whenever we approached a stream, where the file broke up to permit each
horseman to choose his own place of fording, it was, invariably the case
that just as I was reining Jerry into the water, Brunet would come
rushing past and throw himself into our very footsteps. Plunging,
snorting, and splashing me with water, and sometimes even starting Jerry
into a leap aside, he more than once brought me into imminent danger of
being tossed into the stream. It was in vain that, after one or two such
adventures, I learned to hold back and give the vexatious little animal
the precedence. His passion seemed to be to go into the water precisely
at the moment Jerry did; and I was obliged at last to make a bargain
with young Roy to dismount and hold him at every stream until I had got
safely across.
"Kellogg's"[16] was a comfortable mansion, just within the verge of a
pleasant "grove of timber," as a small forest is called by Western
travellers. We found Mrs. Kellogg a very respectable-looking matron, who
soon informed us she was from the city of New York. She appeared proud
and delighted to entertain Mr. Hamilton, for whose family, she took
occasion to tell us, she had, in former days, been in the habit of doing
needle-work.
The worthy woman provided us an excellent dinner, and afterwards
installed me in a rocking-chair beside a large fire, with the "Life of
Mrs. Fletcher" to entertain me, while the gentlemen explored the
premises, visited Mr. Kellogg's stock, and took a careful look at their
own. We had intended to go to Dixon's the same afternoon, but the snow,
beginning again to fall, obliged us to content ourselves where we were.
In the mean time, finding we were journeying to Chicago, Mr. Kellogg
came to the determination to accompany us, having, as he said, some
business to accomplish at that place: so Mrs. Kellogg busied herself in
preparing him to set off with us the following morning. I pleaded hard
to remain yet another day, as the following was Sunday, on which I
objected to travel; but in view of the necessities of the case, the
uncertainty of the weather, and the importance of getting as quickly as
possible through this wild country, my objections were overruled, and I
could only obtain a delay in starting until so late in the afternoon as
would give us just time to ride the sixteen miles to "Dixon's" before
sunset.
No great time was required for Mr. Kellogg's preparations. He would
take, he said, only two days' provisions, for at his brother-in-law
Dixon's we should get our supper and breakfast, and the route from there
to Chicago could, he well knew, be accomplished in a day and a half.
Although, according to this calculation, we had sufficient remaining of
our stores to carry us to the end of our journey, yet my husband took
the precaution of begging Mrs. Kellogg to bake us another bag of
biscuits, in case of accidents, and he likewise suggested to Mr. Kellogg
the prudence of furnishing himself with something more than his limited
allowance; but the good man objected that he was unwilling to burden his
horse more than was absolutely necessary, seeing that, at this season of
the year, we were obliged to carry fodder for the animals, in addition
to the rest of their load. It will be seen that we had reason to rejoice
in our own foresight.
My experience of the previous night had rendered me somewhat less
fastidious than when I commenced my journey, so that, when introduced to
our sleeping-apartment, which I found we were to share with six men,
travellers like ourselves, my only feeling was one of thankfulness that
each bed was furnished with a full suit of blue checked curtains, which
formed a very tolerable substitute for a dressing-room.