He spoke of the indignity perpetrated upon himself, (his having been beaten with sticks by the whites,) with the feeling that a respectable person among us would have shown under such circumstances; and pointing to a black mark on his face, said that he wore it as a symbol of disgrace.  The customs of his nation required, that he should avenge the wrong that he had received, but he chose rather to submit to it for the present than involve them in a war.  And this was the only alternative, for if an Indian should kill, or even strike a white man, the aggression would be eagerly seized upon and exaggerated; the whole frontier population would rush to war, and the Indians would be hunted from their houses like wild beasts.  He spoke of the intrusion upon their fields, the destruction of their growing corn, the ploughing up of the graves of their fathers, and the beating of their women; and added, “we dare not resent any of these things.  If we did, it would be said that the Indians were disturbing the white people, and troops would be sent out to destroy us.”  We enquired, “why do you not represent these things to our government?—­the President is a wise and a good ruler, who would protect you.”  “Our great father is too far off, he cannot hear our voice.”  “But you could have letters written and sent to him.”  “So we could,” was his reply, “but the white men would write letters, and say that we told lies.  Our great father would not believe an Indian, in preference to his own children."[5] Black Hawk in reference to this interview, says, “Neither of them could do any thing for us; but both evidently appeared very sorry.  It would give me great pleasure at all times, to take these two chiefs by the hand.”

Under the seventh article of the treaty made at St. Louis in 1804, it is provided that, “as long as the lands which are now ceded to the United States remain their property, the Indians, belonging to the said tribes, shall enjoy the privilege of living and hunting upon them.”  It was not until the year, 1829, that any part of the lands upon Rock river, were brought into market by the United States.  It follows as a matter of course, that all the white settlers upon them prior to this period, were trespassers, being there in violation of the laws of Congress, and the provisions of the treaty.  Although the frontier settlements of Illinois, had not approached within fifty or sixty miles of Rock river, and the lands for a still greater distance around it, had not been offered for sale, yet in this year, government was induced to make sale of a few quarter sections, at the mouth of Rock river, including the Sac village.  The reason for this uncalled for measure, is obvious—­to evade the provisions of the foregoing treaty of cession, and create a pretext for the immediate removal of the Indians to the west side of the Mississippi.