While this party was collecting at the Bay of Shaug-a-waum-ik-ong, the avenger returned to his home and family amongst the Dakotas, and amused their ears with accounts of his visit to his people's villages. He told them that a large party would soon arrive to smoke the pipe of peace with them. Fully believing these tales, the Dakotas collected their scattered hunters, and sent runners to their different villages to invite their people to come and camp with them, in order to receive the expected peace party of the Ojibways, and join in the amusements which generally ensued whenever they thus met in considerable numbers. The tribe (being the season of the year which they generally passed in leisure and recreation), gathered in large numbers, and pitched their camp on the south shore of Lake St. Croix, near its outlet into the Mississippi.
The centre or main portion of their camp (which stretched for a long distance along the shore of the lake), was located at Point Prescott. A few lodges also stood on the opposite shore of the lake, and at Point Douglas.
The Dakotas, believing the reported peaceable disposition of their former enemies, became careless, and hunted in apparent security; they did not (as is usual when apprehensive of a sudden attack), send scouts to watch on the surrounding hills for the approach of an enemy, and the Ojibways arrived within a close vicinity of their camp without the least discovery. During the night, the leaders of the war party sent five young men who could speak the Dakota language most fluently, to go and spy the lodges of the enemy, note their situation, and find out their number. The five scouts entered the encampment at different points, and drawing their robes closely over their heads they walked about unsuspected by the young Dakota gallants or night walkers, who were out watching the lodge fires to flicker away in embers, in order to enter and in the darkness court their sweet hearts.
