I took my dish and handed it to her, expecting to see her devour the contents eagerly; but no—­she took it, and, making signs that she would soon return, walked away.  When she brought it back, I was almost sure she had not tasted a morsel herself.

* * * * *

Oh! the boats—­the boats with the corn!  Why did they not come?  We both wrote and sent to hasten them, but, alas! everything and everybody moved so slowly in those unenterprising times!  We could only feel sure that they would come when they were ready, and not a moment before.

We were soon obliged to keep both doors and windows fast, to shut out the sight of misery we could not relieve.  If a door were opened for the admission of a member of the family, some wretched mother would rush in, grasp the hand of my infant, and, placing that of her famishing child within it, tell us, pleadingly, that he was imploring “his little brother” for food.  The stoutest man could not have beheld with dry eyes the heart-rending spectacle which often presented itself.  It was in vain that we screened the lower portion of our windows with curtains.  They would climb up on the outside, and tier upon tier of gaunt, wretched faces would peer in above, to watch us, and see if indeed we were as ill provided as we represented ourselves.

The noble old Day-kau-ray came one day, from the Barribault, to apprise us of the state of his village.  More than forty of his people, he said, had now been for many days without food, save bark and roots.  My husband accompanied him to the commanding officer to tell his story and ascertain if any amount of food could be obtained from that quarter.  The result was, the promise of a small allowance of flour, sufficient to alleviate the cravings of his own family.

When this was explained to the chief, he turned away.  “No,” he said, “if his people could not be relieved, he and his family would starve with them!” And he refused, for those nearest and dearest to him, the proffered succor, until all could share alike.

The announcement, at length, that “the boats were in sight,” was a thrilling and most joyful sound.

Hundreds of poor creatures were assembled on the bank, watching their arrival.  Oh! how torturing was their slow approach, by the winding course of the river, through the extended prairie!  As the first boat touched the land, we, who were gazing on the scene with anxiety and impatience only equalled by that of the sufferers, could scarcely refrain from laughing, to see old Wild-Cat, who had somewhat fallen off in his huge amount of flesh, seize “the Washington Woman” in his arms and hug and dance with her in the ecstasy of his delight.

Their Father made a sign to them all to fall to work with their hatchets, which they had long held ready, and in an incredibly short time barrel after barrel of corn was broken open and emptied, while even the little children possessed themselves of pans and kettles full, and hastened to the fires that were blazing around to parch and cook that which they had seized.