being about a mile and a-half apart; the Fox
river running east, and giving its waters to Lake Michigan at Green Bay,
while the Wisconsin turns to the west, and runs into the Mississippi at
Prairie du Chien. The fort is merely a square of barracks, connected
together with palisades, to protect it from the Indians; and it is
hardly sufficiently strong for even that purpose. It is beautifully
situated, and when the country fills up will become a place of
importance. Most of the officers are unmarried, and live a very quiet,
and secluded, but not unpleasant life. I stayed there two days, much
pleased with the society and the kindness shown to me; but an
opportunity of descending the Wisconsin to Prairie du Chien, in a
keel-boat, having presented itself, I availed myself of an invitation to
join the party, instead of proceeding by land to Galena, as had been my
original intention.

The boat had been towed up the Wisconsin with a cargo of flour for the
garrison; and a portion of the officers having been ordered down to
Prairie du Chien, they had obtained this large boat to transport
themselves, families, furniture, and horses, all at once, down to their
destination. The boat was about one hundred and twenty feet long,
covered in to the height of six feet above the gunnel, and very much in
appearance like the Noah's Ark given to children, excepting that the
roof was flat. It was an unwieldy craft, and, to manage it, it required
at least twenty-five men with poles and long sweeps; but the army
gentlemen had decided that, as we were to go down with the stream, six
men with short oars would be sufficient--a very great mistake. In every
other respect she was badly found, as we term it at sea, having but one
old piece of rope to hang on with, and one axe. Our freight consisted
of furniture stowed forward and aft, with a horse and cow. In a cabin
in the centre we had a lady and five children, one maid and two
officers. Our crew was composed of six soldiers, a servant, and a
French _half bred_ to pilot us down the river. All Winnebago came out
to see us start; and as soon as the rope was cast off, away we went down
with the strong current at the rate of five miles an hour. The river
passed through forests of oak, the large limbs of which hung from
fifteen to twenty feet over the banks on each side; sometimes whole
trees lay prostrate in the stream, held by their roots still partially
remaining in the ground, while their