h us from the
block-house was rapidly exhausted, and no large game of any description
was to be met with on the prairie, the Indians having driven off or
killed all the wild cattle, while the deer had retreated to the cover of
the woods. We should soon have exhausted our ammunition had we
continued to pop away at the wild-ducks and plovers which rose from the
ponds; besides which, the captain had given strict orders that no shots
should be fired, lest the sound might be heard by any of the bands of
Indians prowling in the vicinity, who thus might have been induced, on
discovering the smallness of our party, to attack us. Captain Norton
was anxious, if possible, to avoid an encounter with the enemy; for
although we might have succeeded in driving them off, it would have been
almost impossible to have carried the wounded with us, and they would
have had to be left behind to die of starvation, or to be scalped and
killed by the Indians. We passed several ponds, but the water was so
brackish that it could not be drunk, and we therefore suffered
dreadfully from thirst. Our experience showed us what an army has to
endure marching across a desert region.

The day wore on, and still we were a long way from our destination. The
prairie was bordered on our right side by a thick forest. Besides the
short palmetto, the ground in many places was covered with papaw, or
custard apple, on which grew a profusion of party-coloured blossoms,
while in other places numerous flowers of various hues appeared among
the grass. At first I had scarcely noticed the countless bees which
were feeding on them; but Black Hawk, who was marching in front, with a
guard on either side keeping a strict watch over him, pointed towards an
enormous pine-tree which grew somewhat in advance of a line of timber,
and I saw that the bees as they rose, laden with honey, directed their
course towards it. He addressed a few words to the captain, who
observed--

"Our Indian friend tells me that we shall find an abundance of honey in
yonder tree, if we will take the trouble to gather it. We must,
however, be careful, while we are so employed, that he does not give us
the slip, and that no enemies are concealed within the wood, who might
rush out and surprise us."

We, eager to satisfy our hunger, at once directed our course towards the
tree. As we approached, we observed countless bees swarming around the
lower branches, which were thickly studded with hon