We drove to the second brook, beyond the lake, and encamped.
Comfort in an encampment depends very much upon getting a good fire. In this we totally failed last night, owing to our having but a small piece of spunk, which ignited and burned out without inflaming our kindling materials. The atmosphere was damp, but not sufficiently cooled to quiet the ever-busy musquito. Mr. B. deemed it a hardship that he could not boil the kettle, so as to have the addition of tea to our cold repast. I reminded him that there was a bright moon, and that it did not rain; and that, for myself, I had fared so decidedly worse, on former occasions, that I was quite contented with the light of the moon and a dry blanket. By raising up and putting a fork under the wagon tongue, and spreading our tent-cloth over it, I found the means of insulating ourselves from the insect hordes, but it was not until I had pitched my musquito net within it that we found repose.
On awaking in the morning (20th), we found H., who had passed us the day before in company with the Winnebagoes, lying under the wagon. He had returned from pursuing the fugitive, and had overtaken us, after twelve o’clock at night. He complained of being cold. We admitted him into the wagon, and drove on to reach his camp at Twelve-mile Creek. In crossing what he denominated Seven-mile Prairie, I observed on our right a prominent wall of rock, surmounted with image-stones. The rock itself consisted of sandstone. Elongated water-worn masses of stone had been set up, so as to resemble, at a distance, the figures of men. The allusion had been strengthened by some rude paints. This had been the serious or the sportive work of Indians. It is not to be inferred hence, that the Winnebagoes are idolaters. But there is a strong tendency to idolatry in the minds of the North American Indians. They do not bow before a carved image, shaped like Dagon or Juggernaut; but they rely upon their guardian spirits, or personal manitos, for aid in exigencies, and impute to the skins of animals, which are preserved with religious care, the power of gods. Their medicine institution is also a gross and bold system of semi-deification connected with magic, witchcraft, and necromancy. Their jossakeeds are impostors and jugglers of the grossest stamp. Their wabenos address Satan directly for power; and their metais, who appear to be least idolatrous, rely more upon the invisible agency of spirits and magic influence, than upon the physical properties of the medicines they exhibit.
On reaching Twelve-mile Creek, we found a yoke of steers of H., in a pen, which had been tied there two days and nights without water. He evinced, however, an obliging disposition, and, after refreshing ourselves and our horses, we left him to complete the labours of a “local habitation.” The intermediate route to Fort Winnebago afforded few objects of either physical or mental interest. The upland soil, which had become decidedly thinner and more arenaceous, after reaching the lake, appears to increase in sterility on approaching the Wisconsin. And the occurrence of lost rocks (primitive boulders), as Mr. B. happily termed them, which are first observed after passing the Blue Mound, becomes more frequent in this portion of the country, denoting our approach to the borders of the north-western primitive formation. This formation, we have now reason to conclude, extends in an angle, so far south as to embrace a part of Fox River, above Apukwa Lake.
Anticipated difficulties always appear magnified. This we verified in crossing Duck Creek, near its entrance into the Wisconsin. We found the adjoining bog nearly dry, and drove through the stream without the water entering into the body of the wagon. It here commenced raining. Having but four miles to make, and that a level prairie, we pushed on. But the rain increased, and poured down steadily and incessantly till near sunset. In the midst of this rain-storm we reached the fort, about one o’clock, and crossed over to the elevated ground occupied by the Indian Department, where my sojourn, while awaiting the expedition, was rendered as comfortable as the cordial greeting and kind attention of Mr. Kinzie, the agent, and his intelligent family could make it.
A recapitulation of the distances from Galena makes the route as follows, viz. Gratiot’s Grove, fifteen miles; Willow Springs, fifteen; Mineral Point, seven; Dodgeville, nine; Porter’s Grove, nine; Blue Mound, nine; Duck Creek, ten; Lake, ten; Twelve-mile Creek, twenty-four; Crossing of Duck Creek, eight; and Fort Winnebago, four; total, one hundred and twenty miles.
ERRATA.
Page 12, line 5. For Koginogumoc read Kaginogumoc.
“ 12, “ 12. For Courtonelle read Courtorielle.
“ 25, “ 4. For Feebyains read Jeebyains.
“ 27, “ 16. For troncard read broncard.
“ 28, “ 2. For and read at.
“ 36, “ 16. For Saskatchawino read Saskatchawine.
“ 41, “ 28. For Goulle read Gueule.
“ 44, “ 3 of Note. For t read not.
“ 60, “ 24. For these read there is.
“ 64, “ 34. For Ocant read Ocaut.
“ 66, “ 35. Do. Do.
“ 66, “ 18. For Jah read Tah.
“ 77, “ 7. For Guella read Gueule.
“ 81, “ 8. For broiled read boiled.
“ 96, “ 5. For separated read separately.
“ 103, “ 32. For and read or, and for country read county.
“ 106, “ 19. For Colamba migratons read Colomba migratoris.
“ 106, Note. For asmadonta read alasmadonta.
“ 115, “ 24. For Pipisagi read Tipisagi.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Detached pieces of calcareous tufa were found, imbedded in the soil, at the mouth of the river Brule, in 1832.
2. Relation des traverses et des aventures d’un Marchand Voyageur dans les territoires Sauvages de l’Amérique Septentrionale, parti de Montreal, le 28 de Mai, 1783. Par Jean Baptiste Pérault.
3. Wabidea.
4. He had returned with the Expedition, from Lake Superior.
5. It is believed that the American Fur Company, did, however, submit such a proposition to the Directors of the Hudson’s Bay Company in London, which was not acceded to by the latter.
6. Or Pami-tascodiac.
7. From the data, above given, the descent of the Mississippi, will average a fraction over