His flight had not lasted five
minutes, when the reports of several guns, fired from
the direction he had just quitted, met his ear, and urged
him to even greater exertion, until at length, haggard
and breathless, he gained his destination, and made his
way to the commanding officer, to whom he briefly detailed
the startling occurrences he had witnessed.
CHAPTER II.
The Fort of Chicago, at that period, stood upon a portion
of the same ground occupied by its successor, and was,
in fact, a very epitome of a fortress. On the western
side, two block-houses constituted its chief defence,
while on the north, a subterranean passage led from the
parade-ground to the river, near the banks of which it
had been erected. The uses of this sally port were
two-fold--firstly, to afford the garrison a supply of
water in the event of a siege--secondly, to facilitate
escape, if necessary. The country around, now the seat
of fruitfulness and industry, was at that time a wilderness,
tenanted only by the savage, and by the few daring and
adventurous whites who had devoted their lives to purposes
of traffic, yet whose numbers was so small as to induce
them, with a view to their safety, to establish themselves
as near the Fort as possible.
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