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70

  With prayers full of faith and piety, and a hymn of praise, they turned their backs upon Pembina, the place of many hardships, and took their course down the valley of the Mississippi, in deciding to take up their final abode in Illinois or Missouri. Their road lay through a country for the most part free from those icy perils which retarded their progress on their former journey, but more serious dangers were to be encountered from the blood-thirsty tribes of Sioux, Souissitons?, [Sisseton] Tetons and others of the Dacotah nation who occupied nearly every mile of their route, and who, jealous of the whiteman's tread upon their hunting grounds, were little disposed to suffer his presence among them.
  To the head waters of the Minnesota river their progress was unmolested, except by an occasional demand from the Indians for presents by way of tribute. They now began to congratulate themselves with the hopes of a speedy and happy termination of all their troubles, when they were met at lake Traverse by a war party of Sioussetons_ a very malicious, treacherous and cruel tribe_ who, as usual, demanded various articles_such as knives, blankets, powder and lead, as compensation for the privilege of passing through their country.
  Their demands were immediately complied with, but being flushed with the spoils and tro-cut word