“Of course it does,” said Mason. “There is work for us to do just now, though, and because we try to forget Walt’s loss doesn’t mean that we don’t feel badly.”
So Walt died and passed out of the lives of his comrades. He had his faults like all of us, but he had had many good points as well. We are all doomed to be forgotten, but if we can make the world and the people in it a little bit better or happier for our having lived here, we can count our lives successful. All who knew Walt agreed that his had been a successful life.
That evening General Posey arrived at Kellogg’s Grove with his brigade. Scouts reported that Black Hawk’s party were encamped only a short distance away, but for some reason it was not deemed advisable to attack him.
“It seems silly to me,” exclaimed Robert hotly. “Here we have a lot of reinforcements and a fine chance to strike a heavy blow. The Indians are probably all tired out after their fight and we might even be able to capture Black Hawk himself. It seems to me an opportunity to break the back of the war right now.”
“You may be right,” admitted Joseph. “At the same time you must remember that these men probably know more about fighting than we do, and we are in no position to criticize.”
“Maybe so,” growled Robert. “I must say it doesn’t seem like good sense to me, though.”
No attack was made, however, and a few days later the two brothers, together with John Mason and the faithful Deerfoot were once more at Dixon’s Ferry. They were now attached to the spy battalion of General James D. Henry’s brigade. General Henry had been lieutenant-colonel of Fry’s rangers when the four friends had first attached themselves to that body after Major Stillman’s defeat. Colonel Fry still held command of the spy battalion, however.
Since the defeat at Sycamore Creek a large army had been gathered by the Whites who were determined to end the war as soon as possible. Including the regulars there were now about four thousand effective troops in the field. Most of these had assembled at Fort Wilburn, on the Illinois River, south of Dixon’s Ferry. One brigade under General Alexander was dispatched post haste to Plum River, a spot not far from Kellogg’s Grove, as soon as news of the fight at the latter place was received. It was thought that Black Hawk might attempt to cross the Mississippi at this point and it was Alexander’s mission to prevent this.
Black Hawk did not try to cross the great river just then, however. Instead he turned north once more and went into camp near Lake Koshkonong near the head waters of the Rock River. Learning of this, General Atkinson at once left Dixon’s Ferry and advanced up the east bank of the Rock River in pursuit of the Indians. The start was made on June twenty-seventh, the main army now consisting of four hundred regulars and twenty-one hundred volunteer troops.
“We’re off,” cried Robert enthusiastically, as the army filed out of the little settlement at Dixon’s Ferry and started up the bank of the river. “We’ll finish up the war this time. Just look at all the men we have.”