Page:History of the Ojibway Nation.djvu/355

Rh pose of making a temporary peace, as they had been accustomed to do for some years previous. On the contrary, they kept a wary watch over the movements of the Ojibway camp, for the purpose of obtaining an opportunity of inflicting on them a sudden blow, which might have the effect of deterring them from again encroaching on their favorite hunting grounds.

As spring approached, the Ojibways again turned their faces homewards, and made slow marches towards their villages. The Dakotas collected their warriors, and to the number of four hundred men, they stealthily followed the return trail of their enemies. At Crow Wing the Pillager and Sandy Lake camps, as usual, parted company, and moved in different directions. The Dakotas followed the smaller camp, which led towards Mille Lac and Sandy Lake, and at Cross Lake, thirty miles northeast of Crow Wing, they fell on the Ojibways, and destroyed nearly the whole camp. The Ojibways, perfectly unaware that the enemy was on their tracks in such force, as it was not the season of the year when they usually carried on their warfare, had leisurely moved their camp from place to place, without taking any precautions to guard against sudden attack or surprise. In camping about in a dangerous neighborhood, they were accustomed to cut down trees and pile logs about their wigwams for defence against midnight attacks; but on this occasion, the fated Ojibways failed to follow the usual precautions which might have saved them from almost total destruction.

They encamped one evening at Sa-sub-a-gum-aw, or Cross Lake, on a long narrow point covered with pine trees, which ran across the lake nearly dividing it in two. They numbered eight long, or double wigwams, besides several smaller ones, altogether containing over two hundred men, women, and children. Luckily, several families residing at Mille Lac, had that day parted from the main camp,