94 The Winning of the West 



Vincennes reached the Illinois towns, and especially 

 when there followed a rumor that Hamilton him- 

 self was on his march thither to attack them, 17 

 the panic becarhe tremendous among the French. 

 They frankly announced that though they much pre- 

 ferred the Americans, yet it would be folly to op- 

 pose armed resistance to the British; and one or 

 two of their number were found to be in communi- 

 cation with Hamilton and the Detroit authorities. 

 Clark promptly made ready for resistance, tearing 

 down the buildings near the fort at Kaskaskia his 

 head-quarters and sending out scouts and runners ; 

 but he knew that it was hopeless to try to with- 

 stand such a force as Hamilton could gather. He 

 narrowly escaped being taken prisoner by a party of 

 Ottawas and Canadians, who had come from Vin- 

 cennes early in January, when the weather was 

 severe and the traveling fairly good. 18 He was at 

 the time on his way to Cahokia, to arrange for the 

 defence; several of the wealthier Frenchmen were 

 with him in "chairs" presumably creaking wooden 

 carts, and one of them "swampt," or mired down, 

 only a hundred yards from the ambush. Clark and 

 his guards were so on the alert that no attack was 

 made. 



In the midst of his doubt and uncertainty he re- 



17 The rumor came when Clark was attending a dance 

 given by the people of the little village of La Prairie du 

 Rocher. The Creoles were passionately fond of dancing and 

 the Kentuckians entered into the amusement with the utmost 

 zest. 



18 Haldimand MSS. Hamilton's letter, January 24, 1779. 



