Volume 1

THE COHORN TALKS TO THE SIOUX. 433
ordered him to fire. The balls clattered among the large
trees across the little river, and the noise of the discharge
must have appeared awful to people who had never heard
anything of the kind before. My Saulteurs hoped to find
a good round number of the enemy dead, as they said they
heard the Sioux lamenting their fallen relations. Everything
was quiet for some time, till we again heard the
enemy haranguing ; but they had withdrawn to a greater
distance. I once more loaded my cohorn : and, pointing it
as nearly as possible to the spot where we heard them, fired
a second shot. This caused them apparently to withdraw
still
further, as we heard no more of them during the night.
Sentinels were stationed at every part of the fort, whilst
others accompanied the women to fetch as much water as
we had vessels to contain ; for we expected certainly to be
attacked at daybreak.
July 2^th. At the first dawn all eagerly looked for the
enemy, anxious to have the first shot ; and had the enemy
attacked the fort in daylight, they would have been roughly
handled ; the Saulteurs appeared full of animation, and
would have fought like heroes. Just before sunrise we observed
a party of horsemen to the southward, riding backward
and forward in the plains. They were prudent enough
to keep out of reach of my gun, and dare not come within
a mile of the fort. My Indians wished to go out to meet
prevented them, suspecting the enemy had laid
them, supposing their numbers to be not very great ; but I
an ambuscade
to decoy us to such distance from the fort that they
might intercept our retreat and destroy us. I therefore
advised all to keep quiet, in expectation of the enemies'
approach. But this was not their intention ; for, the sun
being half an hour high, they began to file off southward
by the road along Red river and soon disappeared. My Indians
now crossed Panbian river to examine the spot whence
they had been fired on. They found a saddle complete, a
whip, and several pairs of shoes, all of which appeared to
have been thrown away in a sudden retreat. On the han-