Ned had begun to nod, and Elsie's eyes drooped as if she too were in
need of a nap; perceiving which Grandma Elsie bade their nurse take
them to their berth.
A light breeze had sprung up, and it was very pleasant on deck in the
shade of the awning; while, resting upon couches or in easy chairs,
they talked in a quiet way of the various interesting exhibits to which
they had given their attention since leaving the yacht that morning.
"We visited the Illinois Building," said Evelyn, "and were very much
interested in the wonderful grain picture there. It is an ideal prairie
farm--with farmhouse, barn, stock-sheds, all made of corn-husks as well
as the picket fence surrounding it; there are stock and poultry in the
barnyard; there is a windmill too, and there are fields and cattle."
"Yes," said Walter, as Eva paused in her account, "and the perspective
showed fields of grass and grain, pasture too, and sky effects--all
made of natural grains, grasses, leaves, and berries indigenous to
Illinois."
"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 tassels
made of yellow corn.
"We visited the Idaho Building too," he went on, "and I think you
should all see it. It is really picturesque--a log-house on a
foundation of lava and basaltic rock. The timbers we were told are from
young cedar trees, stuffed and stained to produce the effect of age;
then it has fine upper and lower balconies shaded by a projecting roof
upheld by brackets of logs. I heard people remarking that it was the
handsomest log-house ever built, and certainly I never saw any other
nearly so handsome."
"Ah, here comes the boat again with the rest of our folks!" exclaimed
Grace, and springing to his feet, Walter hastened to the side of the
vessel to assist the ladies in getting on board.
"Well, Lu, have you had a good time since I left you?" asked Grace, in
a lively tone, as her sister drew near.
"Yes; yes, indeed!" returned Lucilla; "we have seen and enjoyed a great
deal, and I wouldn't have missed it on any account, though we are all
very tired, I think. I am, I know," she concluded, dropping into a
seat by Grace's side.
"As we all are," said Violet. "I am glad, mamma, that you came back to
the yacht when you did."
"Yes, I thought it wiser not to allow myself to become very weary
before taking rest; and we have had a pleasant, quiet time here
together," returned Grandma Elsie, looking up with an affectionate
smile into the face of her father, who had just drawn near and was
standing by her side, regarding her with a slightly anxious look.
"I am glad you were so prudent," he said, "for you have not been over
strong 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 a
caressing hand for a moment on her head. "Are you feeling very tired,
daughter?"
"Not so very much now, papa," she answered brightly; "we have been
resting nicely here, talking over the sights and historical stories
connected with them."
Then, turning to her sister, "Tell us where you have been and what you
have seen since we left the party, Lu," she requested.
"Ah, I am afraid I cannot begin to tell all," returned Lucilla, in
a lively tone and with a pleased little laugh, "for 'their name is
legion'; the loveliest pictures and statuary in the Fine Arts Building,
and a great variety of curious and interesting things in Machinery
Hall. We went up to the gallery there and took a ride in the travelling
crane. It is like an elevated railroad, is moved by electricity, and
runs the whole length of the building, twenty or thirty feet above the
floor. We stepped in at one end and sat down upon chairs ranged along
the front edge, and it was really entertaining to watch the crowds of
people moving along the floors below, and to get at last a glance at
the exhibits."
"Exhibits!" echoed Grace. "Of what kind? Oh, machines, of course! But I
should 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 I
suppose you wouldn't care much about printing-presses, rock-drills,
sewing-machines, washing-machines, looms, and the like. I own I didn't
care over much for them myself. But in the restful, cooling, breezy
ride, with nothing to do but watch the goings on of other people, and
a glance now and then at something interesting as we glided past it, I
did find a good deal of enjoyment. Ah," drawing out her pretty little
watch and glancing at its face, "I must excuse myself now and go to
my stateroom; for I see it is nearly meal time, and my hair and dress
certainly need some attention;" and with that she left them.
Mr. Dinsmore and the captain, wishing to look at some exhibits in which
the ladies took but little interest, went ashore again early in the
evening; leaving Mrs. Dinsmore, Mrs. Travilla, and the younger ones
occupying the comfortable seats on the _Dolphin's_ deck, and enjoying
the cool evening breeze and the somewhat distant view of the beauties
of the brilliantly illuminated White City, as well as that of the
starry heavens above them.
Violet had gone down to the cabin with her children to see them safely
in bed, and for some minutes no one left in the little group behind had
spoken. But presently Grace broke the silence.
"I have just been thinking what a wonderful change has come over this
part of our country since the war of 1812. I remember that history
tells us there was only a fort and a trading post here then, where now
this great city stands, and that it was destroyed. Grandma Elsie,
don't you want to tell us the whole story?" she concluded in a coaxing
tone.
"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--this
spot, we are told, was first visited by a white man in 1674. He was
a French Jesuit called Father Marquette. He built a cabin there and
planted a missionary station. Eleven years afterward his cabin was
replaced by a fort. I do not know how long that fort stood, but Lossing
tells us that in 1796 a mulatto from St. Domingo found his way to that
far-off wilderness, and that the Indians said of him 'the first white
man 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 years
the 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 July
of that year a fort our government had been building there was formally
dedicated and called Fort Dearborn, in honor of the then Secretary of
War. It stood on a slight elevation on the south bank of the Chicago
River, about half a mile from its mouth, and directly opposite, on the
north bank, stood Mr. Kinzie's dwelling. It was a modest mansion begun
by Jean Baptiste, and enlarged by Mr. Kinzie. He had some Lombardy
poplars planted in front within an enclosed yard, and at the back a
fine garden and growing orchard.
"There he had lived in peace and prosperity, esteemed and confided in
by the surrounding Indians, for eight years, when in June of 1812 war
was declared by our government with Great Britain. Of course you all
know and remember what were the causes of that second struggle with our
mother country?"
"Indeed we do, mother," exclaimed Walter. "She interfered with our
commerce, capturing every American vessel bound to, or returning
from a port where her commerce was not favored; and worse still, was
continually seizing our sailors and forcing them into her service;
depriving us of our God-given rights and making slaves of freemen. If
ever a war was justifiable on one side that one was on ours. Is it not
so?"
"I think it is, my son," replied Grandma Elsie, smiling slightly at the
lad'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 angles
on the southern side, on the north side a sally-port and covered way
that led down to the river for the double purpose of obtaining water
during a siege and of having a way of escape should that be desirable
at any time--and was strongly picketed.
"The fort was built by Major Whistler, his soldiers dragging all
the timber to the spot because they had no oxen. Some material was
furnished from Fort Wayne, but so economically was the work done that
the fortress did not cost the government fifty dollars.
"But to return to my story--the garrison there at the time of the
declaration of war consisted of fifty-four men. The only other
residents of the post at that time were the wives of Captain Heald and
Lieutenant Helm, the second in command, those of some of the soldiers,
a few Canadians with their wives and children, and Mr. Kinzie and his
family.
"They were all on the most friendly terms with the principal tribes
of Indians in that neighborhood--the Pottawatomies and Winnebagoes,
yet they could not win them from their attachment for the British, who
yearly 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 chiefs
had seemed sullen, and suspicions of intended hostility on their part
at times troubled the minds of the officers of the fort.
"One day in the spring of 1812 two Indians of the Calumet band were at
the fort, and seeing Mrs. Helm and Mrs. Heald playing at battledore,
one of them, named Nan-non-gee, turned to the interpreter with the
remark, 'The white chiefs' wives are amusing themselves very much; it
will not be long before they will be living in our cornfields.'"
"Oh!" cried Grace, "I should think that ought to have been enough to
warn the officers of the fort to make every preparation to repel an
assault by the Indians."
"Yes," said Grandma Elsie, "but Heald seems to have been strangely
blind and deaf to every kind of warning.
"On the evening of the 7th of April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat by his
fireside playing his violin, his children dancing to the music, when
their 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. 'Up
at Lee's, killing and scalping!' she gasped in reply, and went on to
tell that the alarm had been given by a boy, the son of Mr. Lee, and a
discharged soldier who had been working for them. They had shouted the
dreadful tidings across the river to the Burns family, as they ran down
the farther side, Mr. Lee's place being between two and three miles
farther up the stream.
"Not a moment was to be lost. Mr. Kinzie hurried his family into two
pirogues moored in front of his house, and hastened with them across
the river and into the fort. The alarm had reached there also, and a
scow with Ensign Ronan and six men started at once up the river to
rescue the Burns family. Also a cannon was fired to give notice of
danger to a party of soldiers who were out fishing. Mrs. Burns and her
family, including an infant not yet a day old, were taken safely to the
fort."
"I hope those soldiers got back safely too," said Grace.
"Yes; they were two miles above Lee's; it was already dark when they
returned, and in passing his house they came upon the bodies of
murdered and scalped persons, which were the next day recovered and
buried near the fort. It was afterward learned that the scalping party
were Winnebagoes from Rock River, who had come with the intention of
killing every white person outside of the fort, but were frightened
away by the sound of the cannon before they had finished their fiendish
work; so fled back to their homes.
"In those days an agency house stood upon the esplanade, about twenty
rods west from the fort, and in it all the whites not belonging to the
garrison now took refuge. It was an old-fashioned log-house, with a
passage through the centre, and piazzas in front and rear extending the
whole length of the building. These were planked up, port-holes cut in
the barricades and sentinels were posted there every night.
"Hostile Indians hovered around the post for some time, helping
themselves to whatever they could lay their hands upon, but at length
disappeared, 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 Wayne
as the bearer of a despatch from General Hull to Captain Heald. In
that despatch Hull told of the declaration of war with England, the
invasion of Canada, and the loss of Mackinack. It also ordered Captain
Heald to evacuate Fort Dearborn, if practicable; and if he did so to
distribute all the United States property there among the Indians in
the neighborhood."
"Including guns, powder, and balls with which to kill the whites!" said
Lucilla. "I think I should have concluded from such an order that Hull
must be either a traitor or an idiot."
"His idea," said Grandma Elsie, "seems to have been to make a
peace-offering to the savages to induce them to refrain from joining
the British, then menacing Detroit.
"Win-ne-meg, who had some knowledge of the contents of the missive
he brought, begged Mr. Kinzie, with whom he was intimate, to advise
Captain Heald not to evacuate the fort, assuring him it would prove a
difficult and dangerous movement; for the Indians had already received
information from Tecumseh of the disasters to the American arms and the
withdrawal of Hull's army from Canada, and were growing insolent and
restless. The fort was well supplied with ammunition and provisions
sufficient to last for six months; by the end of that time relief might
be sent, and why not hold out till then? But if Heald was resolved to
evacuate, it had better be done at once, before the Indians should be
informed 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 were
engaged in that business the white people might make their way in
safety to Fort Wayne.
"Mr. Kinzie perceived that this was wise advice, as did the officers
of the fort, with the exception of Heald, who would not listen to it,
but expressed himself as resolved to yield strict obedience to Hull's
orders as to evacuation and the distribution of the public property.
"The next morning Hull's order was read to the troops, and Heald took
the whole responsibility of carrying it out. His officers expected to
be summoned to a council, but they were not. Toward evening they called
upon the commander and remonstrated with him. They said that the march
must necessarily be slow on account of the women, children, and infirm
persons, therefore, under the circumstances, exceedingly perilous. They
reminded him that Hull's order left it to his discretion to go or to
stay; 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 government
if he remained, for special orders had been issued by the War
Department that no post should be surrendered without battle having
been given by the assailed; and his force was entirely too small to
hazard an engagement with the Indians. He added that he had full
confidence in the professions of friendship of many chiefs about him,
and he would call them together, make the required distribution, then
take up his march for Fort Wayne."
"And did the other officers submit to him then, Grandma Elsie?" asked
Grace.
"Yes; my dear, he was in authority, and I presume they were too loyal
to oppose him. But being determined to abandon the fort, he should have
done so at once; for delay was certainly increasing the danger, the
Indians becoming more unruly every hour; yet he procrastinated and did
not 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 of
the 12th, when Heald held a farewell council with them. He invited his
officers to join him in that, but they refused. In some way they had
been informed that treachery was intended on the part of the Indians,
that they had planned to murder them and then destroy those who were
in the fort. Therefore they remained inside the pickets and opened a
port-hole of one of the block-houses so that the Indians could see a
cannon pointing directly toward their group, thus protecting Captain
Heald. It had the desired effect; no effort was made by the savages
to carry out their treacherous design, they professed friendship, and
accepted Heald's offers to distribute among them the goods in the
public store--blankets, calicoes, broadcloths, paints, and other things
such as Indians fancy."
"Beads among them, I presume," remarked Rosie.
"Very likely," said her mother, "as they have always been a favorite
ornament with the Indians. The distribution of those goods, the arms
and ammunition and such of the provisions as would not be needed by the
garrison, was to take place next day; then the whites were to leave
the fort and set out upon their journey through the wilderness, the
Pottawatomies engaging to furnish them with an escort, on condition of
being 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," said
Grandma Elsie, "and earnestly remonstrated with Captain Heald; telling
him they were not to be trusted in the face of such temptations.
Especially he urged him not to put arms and ammunition in their
hands, as that would fearfully increase their ability to carry on the
murderous raids which had become so frequent and caused so great terror
in the frontier settlements.
"He succeeded in convincing Heald that he had been very foolish in
making that promise, and he resolved to violate his treaty so far as
the arms and ammunition were concerned. That very evening something
occurred that certainly ought to have opened Heald's eyes and led him
to 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 the
whites, and who was a man of great influence too, came to Heald in a
quiet 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 of
our mutual friendship. But our young men are resolved to imbrue their
hands in the blood of the white people. I cannot restrain them, and
I will not wear a token of peace while I am compelled to act as an
enemy.'"
"And did Heald actually disregard such a warning as that?" exclaimed
Evelyn Leland. "I really do not see how it could have been made plainer
that the purpose was to attack and murder all in the fort as soon as
they were fairly in their power."
"Nor do I," said Grandma Elsie; "yet Heald seems to have paid no more
attention to it than to the previous warnings.
"The next morning, August 13, was bright and cool. The Indians came
in great numbers to receive their promised presents. Only the goods
in the store were distributed that day, and in the evening Black
Partridge said to Mr. Griffith, the interpreter, 'Linden birds have
been singing in my ears to-day; be careful on the march you are going
to take.' This was repeated to Captain Heald, but solemn warning as it
evidently was, he paid no more attention to it than he had to previous
ones. He seems to have been perfectly infatuated, and how he could
ever forgive himself in after years I cannot see. He went steadily on
in the execution of his plans, of which, as I have told you, all the
other officers, Mr. Kinzie, and friendly Indian chiefs disapproved.
That night he had all the guns but such as his party could make use of
in their journey--gunscrews, flint, shot, and everything belonging to
the 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 move
noiselessly, and some whose suspicions had been aroused crept to the
spot and made themselves acquainted with what was going on. Liquor and
powder, too, were poured into the well, and a good deal of alcohol,
belonging to Mr. Kinzie, into the river; also a portion of the powder
and liquor of the fort was thrown into a canal that came up from
the river far under the covered way. But the water of the river was
sluggish, and so great a quantity of liquor had been thrown into it
that in the morning it was like strong grog; and powder could be seen
floating on the surface."
"And of course the Indians, who loved liquor, were angry when they saw
how it had been wasted, instead of given to them," remarked Grace.
"Yes; their complaints and threats were loud, and now the little
garrison had no choice but to brave the danger of exposing themselves
to their vengeance, for it was no longer possible to hold the fort,
and they must set out upon their perilous journey. Ah! if Heald had
but been less obstinately bent upon having his own way--more willing
to listen to the advice and remonstrances of his officers, Kinzie, who
understood 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 had
passed most of his life among the Miami Indians and been made one of
their chiefs. He had heard at Fort Wayne of Hull's order to evacuate
Fort Dearborn, and knowing of the hostility of the Pottawatomies,
had made a rapid march across the country with a party of his Miamis
to reinforce Heald and help him to hold and defend the fort. But he
arrived just too late; the means of defence had already been destroyed,
and there was no choice but to attempt the perilous march through the
wilderness.
"Nine o'clock of the 15th was the hour set for the evacuation, and
it was already evident that the Indians intended to massacre the
whites--men, women, and children. Nor could they entertain any hope
of being able to defend themselves, so overwhelming was the number of
their savage foes, 500 warriors against 54 soldiers, 12 civilians, and
3 or 4 women."
"But there were the Miamis with Wells, mamma," remarked Rosie.
"Who proved of no assistance," returned Grandma Elsie. "Lossing tells
us that when, at nine o'clock, the gates were thrown open, and the
march began, it was like a funeral procession. The band struck up the
Dead March in 'Saul.' Captain Wells, with his friendly Miamis, took
the lead, his face blackened with gunpowder in token of his impending
fate. His niece, Mrs. Heald, with her husband, came next, while the
others, 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, in
charge of a friendly Indian who was to take them to his other trading
station, where Niles, Mich., now stands. Poor Mrs. Kinzie! having a
daughter among the seemingly doomed ones, how terribly anxious and
distressed she must have been!" added Grandma Elsie in tones tremulous
with feeling. A moment of silence followed, then she went on with her
narrative.