Although he kept as far as he could from the
settlements, he would come now and then upon
a solitary frame house, razed to the ground by
the war-parties of the day before. The mem-
bers of the ill-fated family were to be seen scat-
tered in and about the place; and their white,
upturned faces told him that his race must pay
for the deed.
The dog that howled pitifully over the dead
was often the only survivor of the farmer's
household.
Occasionally Tawasuota heard at a distance
the wagons of the fugitives, loaded with women
and children, while armed men walked before
and behind. These caravans were usually
drawn by oxen and moved slowly toward some
large town.
When the dawn appeared in the east, the
chief soldier was compelled to conceal himself
in a secluded place. He rolled up in his
blanket, lay down in a dry creek-bed among the
red willows and immediately fell asleep.
With the next evening he resumed his jour-
ney, and reached Faribault toward midnight.
Even here every approach was guarded against
the possibility of an Indian attack.
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