There was one family that lived near the Iroquois River in the northeastern part of Illinois. They owned no horses, but had a large family of small children, eleven in all. In the course of their flight it was necessary for them to cross the river. Coming to the bank they found it was impossible for the small children to cross unaided. The stream was high and rapid, so that the father had to carry the little ones over one at a time. Trip after trip he made until he had them all across, as he thought. They were about to continue their flight when a cry from the opposite bank arrested their attention.
Standing on the bank of the stream and crying piteously was little Susan, just four years old. In the excitement she had been overlooked. The father at once plunged into the stream again to rescue his child, when the mother, seeing it, cried out, “Never mind Susan; we have succeeded in getting ten over, which is more than we expected at first—and we can better spare Susan than you, my dear.” So poor little Susan was abandoned by her panic-stricken family and left to the mercy of the savages. No harm came to her, however, for one of the neighbors out hunting found her and took charge of her. Thus the poor child’s life was saved, though not through any help from her family who had treated her so shabbily.
This was a sample of the conditions existing on the border at that time, however. The settlers were in a constant state of panic. The rustle of a wild animal in the underbrush; the howl of a wolf in the prairie; the fall of a forest bough were enough to blanch the cheeks of the bravest men.
“It makes me so mad!” exclaimed Robert hotly. “The women and children can lose their nerve if they want, but when the men do, too, there is no excuse for them.”
He was sitting beside Joseph’s cot in the hospital the next day after their arrival, and was giving full vent to his feelings.
“I know it,” replied Joseph. “It isn’t right at all.”
“Isn’t right!” exclaimed Robert. “Well, I should say not! Even the troops are losing heart. A fine bunch of cowards we enlisted with, I should say.”
“There is no use in getting so excited about it, Bob,” said Joseph quietly.
“Yes, there is too. It does me good to say what I think, anyway.”
“Perhaps that’s true,” laughed Joseph. “At any rate you and I are going to do our duty, no matter what the others may do.”