Narrative of the Captivity of William Biggs among the Kickapoo Indians in Illinois in 1788 — John Shaqi
Narrative of the Captivity of William Biggs among the Kickapoo Indians in Illinois in 1788Biggs, William
History
Narrative of the Captivity of William Biggs among the Kickapoo Indians in Illinois in 1788
Biggs, William
Indian captivities; Kickapoo Indians
There was a Mr. Pyatt a Frenchman, and his wife, whose residence was at
St. Vincennes, with whom I had some acquaintance. They had moved up to
that Kickapoo town in the fall of the year in order to trade with the
Indians that winter. They were then ready to return home to Vincennes.
Mr. Pyatt had purchased a drove of horses from the Indians. He had to go
by land with his horses. Mrs. Pyatt hired a large perogue and four
Frenchmen to take her property home to Vincennes. I got a passage in her
perogue. She was very friendly to me; she did not charge me anything for
my passage.
We arrived in Vincennes in forty-eight hours after we left the Kickapoo
trading town, which is said to be two hundred and ten miles. The river
was very high, and the four hands rowed day and night. We never put to
land but twice to get a little wood to cook something to eat.
I staid five days at Vincennes before I got an opportunity of company to
go on my way home. It was too dangerous for one man to travel alone by
land without a gun. There was a Mr. Duff, who lived in the Illinois
country, came to Vincennes to move a Mrs. Moredock and family to the
Illinois. I got a passage with him by water. The morning I started from
Vincennes he was just ready to start before I knew I could get a passage
with him, and I had not time to write. I got a Mr. John Rice Jones, a
friend of mine, to write to Col. Edgar, living in Kaskaskia, in the
Illinois, who was a particular friend of mine, and sent it by the
express, a Frenchman, that was going to start that day from Vincennes to
Kaskaskia, which he could ride in four days, and request Col. Edgar to
write to my wife, who lived at Bellfontain, about forty miles from
Kaskaskia, and inform her that I was at Post Vincennes, on my return
home with a Mr. Duff by water, and inform her that I would be at
Kaskaskia on a certain day; I think it was two weeks from the time I
left Vincennes, and for her to send me a horse on that day to Kaskaskia.
Col. Edgar wrote to her immediately, as soon as he received Mr. Jones'
letter. That was the first time she heard from me after I was taken
prisoner. I had written to her while I was at the Kickapoo town. That
letter never reached her. I had two brothers living at the Bellfontain;
they met me on the day I proposed being at Kaskaskia and brought me a
horse. The next day I got home to the Bellfontain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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