stockade gates standing wide open, and only one sentry posted. Ye
gods! who would ever suppose we were just a handful of men in hostile
Indian territory." His voice increased in earnestness, his eyes
sweeping the group of faces. "I've been on this frontier for fourteen
years, and visited in Black Hawk's camp a dozen times. He's a British
Indian, and hates everything American. Ask Forsyth."

"The Indian agent?"

"Yes, he knows. He's already written Governor Reynolds, and I saw the
letter. His word is that Keokuk is powerless to hold back an
explosion; he and the Hawk are open enemies, and with the first advance
of settlers along the Rock River Valley this whole border is going to
be bathed in blood. And look what we've got to fight it with."

"Thockmorton told me," I explained, "that Atkinson is preparing to send
in more troops; he expects to bring a load north with him on his next
trip."

"From Jefferson?"

"Yes; they are concentrating there."

"How many regulars are there?"

"About four hundred from the First and Sixth regiments."

He laughed scornfully.

"I thought so. That means that Atkinson may send two or three hundred