“That I cannot tell you, Lieutenant,” responded Ben soberly. “I didn’t see him during the fight. Therefore, I know nothing of his probable fate.”
There followed a quick exchange of stories; and Ben soon learned that the detachment had duly started north that next morning, as ordered by Captain Van Alstyne upon his departure. The troopers, under Clark, had covered about half the twenty-five miles to Sycamore Creek, when they collided head-on with the first of the fleeing volunteers.
“But there was no stopping them,” stated Clark, his face flushing red with anger. “Such rank cowardice I never did see.”
“Yep,” added Bill Brown disgustedly, “they was the scaredest bunch o’ fellers I ever met up with. Ther eyes was fairly poppin’ outen ther heads, an’ they was a screamin’ bloody-murder that Black Hawk was comin’ with a millyun warriors.”
“They poured down that road,” continued the Lieutenant, “like a herd of buffaloes in a stampede. If I hadn’t shooed my troop to one side, I swear they’d have ground us to bits under their flying hoofs.”
“Bright Star say,” the Pottawattomee reminded them, “pale-face run like rabbit, when Black Hawk charge.”
“An’ most of ’em didn’t even stop,” related Bill, “when they hit the ferry. The miser’ble louts skedaddled fer ther cabins, fifty mile away, where they’ll scare the livin’ daylights outen everybody, with ther wild tales o’ the turr’ble Black Hawk an’ his rampagin’ braves.”
On the following morning, General Whiteside, with several hundred men, including the detachment of regulars under Clark, proceeded to the field of battle, where they buried the mutilated bodies of the dead. Among these was that of Captain Van Alstyne, whose tragic fate was thus learned by all; although they did not know, of course, that he had fallen before the whirling war-axe of the dread Prairie Wolf.
The Sac tribesmen, delirious with triumph, had by now withdrawn northward, to their old camp, after looting Stillman’s tents most thoroughly.
“There were rich stores of provisions and ammunition,” declared Whiteside, “and they all fell into the hands of Black Hawk. It’s a pity, too, for I think that the Sacs were pretty near destitute.”