Autobiography of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk | Page 7

years.
Our difficulties all having been settled, I concluded to take a small
party and go down to see our Spanish father during the summer. We
went, and on our arrival put up our lodges where the market house now
stands. After painting and dressing we called to see our Spanish father
and were kindly received. He gave us a great variety of presents and an
abundance of provisions. We danced through the town as usual, and the
inhabitants all seemed well pleased. They seemed to us like brothers,
and always gave us good advice. On my next and last visit to our
Spanish father, I discovered on landing, that all was not right. Every
countenance seemed sad and gloomy. I inquired the cause and was
informed that the Americans were coming to take possession of the
town and country, and that we were to lose our Spanish father. This
news made me and my band exceedingly sad, because we had always
heard bad accounts of the Americans from the Indians who had lived
near them. We were very sorry to lose our Spanish father, who had
always treated us 'with great friendship.
A few days afterwards the Americans arrived. I, in company with my
band, went to take leave for the last time of our father. The Americans
came to see him also. Seeing their approach, we passed out at one door
as they came in at another. We immediately embarked in our canoes for
our village on Rock river, not liking the change any more than our
friends at St. Louis appeared to.
On arriving at our village we gave out the news that a strange people
had taken possession of St. Louis and that we should never see our
generous Spanish father again. This information cast a deep gloom over
our people.
Sometime afterwards a boat came up the river with a young American
chief, at that time Lieutenant, and afterwards General Pike, and a small
party of soldiers aboard. The boat at length arrived at Rock river and
the young chief came on shore with his interpreter. He made us a
speech and gave us some presents, in return for which we gave him
meat and such other provisions as we could spare.
We were well pleased with the speech of the young chief. He gave us
good advice and said our American father would treat us well. He
presented us an American flag which we hoisted. He then requested us
to lower the British colors, which were waving in the air, and to give

him our British medals, promising to send others on his return to St:
Louis. This we declined to do as we wished to have two fathers.
When the young chief started we sent runners to the village of the
Foxes, some miles distant, to direct them to treat him well as he passed,
which they did. He went to the head of the Mississippi and then
returned to St. Louis. We did not see any Americans again for some
time, being supplied with goods by British traders.
We were fortunate in not giving up our medals, for we learned
afterwards, from our traders, that the chiefs high up the Mississippi,
who gave theirs, never received any in exchange for them. But the fault
was not with the young American chief. He was a good man, a great
brave, and I have since learned, died in his country's service.
Some moons after this young chief had descended the Mississippi, one
of our people killed an American, was taken prisoner and was confined
in the prison at St. Louis for the offence. We held a council at our
village to see what could be done for him, and determined that
Quashquame, Pashepaho, Ouchequaka and Hashequarhiqua should go
down to St. Louis, see our American father and do all they could to
have our friend released by paying for the person killed, thus covering
the blood and satisfying the relations of the murdered man. This being
the only means with us for saving a person who had killed another, and
we then thought it was the same way with the whites.
The party started with the good wishes of the whole nation, who had
high hopes that the emissaries would accomplish the object of their
mission. The relations of the prisoner blacked their faces and fasted,
hoping the Great Spirit would take pity on them and return husband and
father to his sorrowing wife and weeping children.
Quashquame and party remained a long time absent. They at length
returned and encamped near the village, a short distance below it, and
did not come up that day, nor did any one approach their camp. They
appeared to be dressed in fine coats and had medals. From