The chief gave me powder and lead
and said he wanted, me to send my hunters out again. When I returned to
camp, I told my young men that the chief wanted more meat. Matatah, one
of my principal braves, said he would take a party and go across the
Illinois, about one day's travel, where game was plenty, and make a good
hunt for our friend the war chief. He took eight hunters with him, and
his wife and several other squaws went with them. They had travelled
about half the day in the prairie when they discovered a party of white
men coming towards them with a drove of cattle. Our hunters apprehended
no danger or they would have kept out of the way of the whites, who had
not yet perceived them. Matatah changed his course, as he wished to meet
and speak to the whites. As soon as the whites saw our party, some of
them put off at full speed, and came up to our hunters. Matatah gave up
his gun to them, and endeavored to explain to them that he was friendly
and was hunting for the war chief. They were not satisfied with this but
fired at and wounded him. He got into the branches of a tree that had
blown down, to keep the horses from running over him. He was again
fired on several times and badly wounded. He, finding that he would be
murdered, and, mortally wounded already, sprang at the man nearest him,
seized his gun and shot him from his horse. He then fell, covered with
blood from his wounds, and immediately expired. The other hunters being
in the rear of Matatah attempted to escape, after seeing their leader so
basely murdered by the whites. They were pursued and nearly all of the
party killed. My youngest brother brought me the news in the night, he
having been with the party and was slightly wounded. He said the whites
had abandoned their cattle and gone back towards the settlement. The
rest of the night we spent in mourning for our friends. At daylight I
blacked my face and started for the fort to see the chief. I met him at
the gate and told him what had happened. His countenance changed and I
could see sorrow depicted in it for the death of my people. He tried to
persuade me that I was mistaken, as he could not believe that the whites
would act so cruelly. But when I convinced him, he said to me, 'those
cowards who murdered your people shall be punished.' I told him that my
people would have revenge, that they would not trouble any of his people
at the fort, as we did not blame him or any of his soldiers, but that
a party