Black Hawk

Hurrying to meet them came Neapope and a six or seven dozen warriors.

"Something is not right. " alerted as Red Eagle and the others around him saw the look of seriousness on Neapope's taunt face.

"My chief. " cried out Neapope as he neared. "While you were away the Cherokee made a raid on us. They slew nearly a dozen of our people. I think they mean to return and were scared off only when they heard you coming. "

First the Osage and now the Cherokee, thought Black Hawk as he gazed on the faces of his weary warriors. Will it never end?

"Let the drums sound. " said Black Hawk in a quiet voice .

The Sauk drums did sound. They beat out their particular brand of thunder and the Sauks responded. Soon, Black Hawk stood before almost the entire population of Saukenuk.

The war chief stepped up onto the 'talking log' which had been made into a speaker's platform and a great cheer swelled from the ranks of onlookers. When the noise lessened Black Hawk spoke.

"We have returned to you in victory. " he called out. "Now we find that another enemy threatens our peace. I say we will not let them destroy our homes or threaten our people. There will be tears in our lodges tonight. I do not want tears each night. "

Again, loud cries punctuated the war chief's words.

"I say we will not let anyone take our land and that is what these Cherokee dogs wish to do. If we let them, they will not stop until they have taken our sacred ground. I, Black Hawk, say it is time we took a stand against all who would take from us what is ours."

The huge throng showing their support of their chief's words with another swelling cheer.

Black Hawk really didn't want to do battle again. But he was a war chief. He had the responsibility to do what was best for his people. He could not stand by and allow his people to be set upon or be stolen from. So, war seemed inevitable. As long as he had to be warring, he needed his warrior's full support.

"We must protect what was given to us by the Great Spirit. " continued Black Hawk as he worked on the crowd. "Who killed your beloved war chief, Pyesa?"

The answer of 'Cherokee' was shouted in one great voice.

Black Hawk was growing angry now as his thoughts turned toward the killers of his father. "Yes! The Cherokee." He shouted over the sounds of the pounding drums, which had been re-established by some overzealous beaters. "The killers of my father and your war chief. And now these same Cherokee dogs wish to take that which none on earth shall take. We must fight and fight as we have never fought before."

Another great cheer arose as the worked up Sauks responded to their war chief's words of inspiration.

"People of Saukenuk." yelled Black Hawk as he continued "Prepare for war. Strike the warpost and we will drive these Cherokee and all like them from the face of the earth if that is what it needed. They shall not take our land."

Thus, once more, did Black Hawk lead the powerful Sauk nation into battle. The young and daring war chief had made the decision to fight for as long as it took to gain peace for his nation. Full of cunning, Black Hawk was bold but not reckless.

The years began to come and go with startling regularity. Each new year seemed to bring new challenges and new commitments for the Sauk people to meet. There were wars on nearly every front. Wars with the Cherokee. No sooner had the Sauks dealt with those festering problems than war broke out with the Chippawas. Then the Kaskaskias had to learn the lesson of never going against the powerful Sauks. They, like the others, learned the hard way of the Sauk's power to protect themselves. There were even more smaller engagements with the renegade Osages.

With each confrontation and subsequent victory the Sauk nation grew in strength. Not only were the Sauk people feared and respected but the name of Black Hawk was swiftly becoming legend. His name was on every tip, friend and foe alike. Widely known and revered, the name of the Sauk war chief was known to all as a leader who's campaigns were always well planned and even better executed. Black Hawk had shown, time and again, that he was a shrewd and brilliant tactician. This Black Hawk, the stories were told, didn't send his armies into battle. He was always found in the front ranks leading them to victory. The Sauk war chief was known far and wide, too, for his honesty as well as for his great courage. He was a leader who always won.

Little could Black Hawk have known when he rallied his people after the Cherokee that day that he would see ten long years of constant fighting in his quest to fulfill his promise to his people.