-246 Expedition to the 



in her arms, she had daily seated herself on the bank of the 

 river, and followed the downward course of the stream, 

 with her eye, to gain the earliest notice of his approach. 

 Thus time passed on. The second year the father greeted a 

 son, and obtained his squaw's reluctant consent to take 

 their daughter with him on his return voyage to the coun- 

 try of the white people. But no sooner had he commenced 

 his voyage, and although she had another charge upon which 

 to lavish her caresses, than her maternal fondness overpow- 

 ered her, and she ran crying and screaming along the river 

 side in pursuit of the boat, tearing out her long flowing hair, 

 and appearing to be almost bereft of reason. On her return 

 home she gave away every thing she possessed, cut off her 

 hair, went into deep mourning, and remained inconsolable. 

 She would often say that she well knew, that her daughter 

 would be better treated, than she cou'd be at home, but she 

 could not avoid regarding her own situation to be the same 

 as if the Wahconda had taken away her offspring forever. 



One day, in company with six other squaws, she was en- 

 gaged in her agricultural labours, her infant boy being se- 

 cured to his cradle-like board, which she had carefully re- 

 clined against a tree at a short distance. They were discov- 

 ered by a war party of Sioux, who rushed towards them 

 with the expectation of gratifying their vengeance by secur- 

 ing all their scalps. An exclamation from her companions 

 directed her attention to the common enemy, and in her 

 fright she fled precipitately, but suddenly recollecting her 

 child, she swiftly returned full in the face of the Sioux, 

 snatched her child from the tree, and turned to save its life, 

 more precious than her own. She was closely pursued by 

 one of the enemy, when she arrived at a fence which sepa- 

 rated her from the field of the trading house. A moment's 

 hesitation here would have been fatal, and exerting all her 

 strength she threw the child, with its board, as far as she 

 could on the opposite side. 



