WEAKNESS OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. 217 



water melons at your service." As we passed, my friend 

 of the frontiers was there with so handsome a gift of 

 melons, that there were enough for me and for my men, 

 and to last me several days. 



Suffering considerably from fever, but without ague, 

 I travelled on till dark, and then encamped at some place 

 the name of which I have forgotten, and then again con 

 sidered the step I had taken, and resolved that the course 

 I was pursuing was in fact the only safe one left to my 

 acceptance. My position was precisely this. In front 

 of me, towards Pawnee Fork, was, if over-rated, still a 

 considerable force of hostile Indians Satankee, or the 

 Sitting Bear, a noted warrior, at their head ; while at the 

 same time, immediately around Counsel Grove, there 

 was on the following day to be a gathering of Indians to 

 receive Government money as the price of their lands, 

 and to get drunk with the consequent and unlimited 

 possession of whiskey. It would not be wise, then, to 

 delay, nor. to subject myself, by waiting where I was, to 

 the chance of quarrel with redskins in inebriated fury. 

 In addition to these two agreeable facts, there was an 

 other, and that was an expected fiat from Government as 

 to whether the settlers, self-located on the plains near 

 Counsel Grove, were or were not in legal possession, or 

 whether they were but trespassers on Indian bounds. 

 Here then, in regard to the expected fiat, was placed be 

 fore me the weakness and inability of the Government of 

 the United States to enforce the laws of the country ; 

 and I arrived at the knowledge of it, thus : From time 

 to time, at my camping-places, the frontier settlers would 

 come, in their straightforward but invariably civil way, 

 to my ambulance waggon, to converce with me on my 

 journey and look at my arms. They were never rudely 



