FAMOUS SHAWNEE WAR-CHIEF—ORGANIZER OF SECOND GREAT INDIAN CONFEDERATION AND GENERAL IN THE BRITISH ARMY IN THE WAR OF 1812.
Judged from whatever standpoint you will, the subject of this sketch1 was certainly one of the greatest, if not the very greatest American Indian.
The name Tecumseh means "The Shooting Star," and it was very appropriate, and seems to have been prophetical of his meteoric2 career and brilliant genius, to say nothing of his numerous journeys to distant tribes, which were accomplished3 with incredible speed.
This great chief was born at the old Indian town of Piqua, Ohio, on the Mad River, in 1768.
His father, a Shawnee chief named Puckeshinwan, was killed in the battle of Kanawha, in 1774.
His mother was thought to have been a Creek4 or Cherokee. Her name was Methoataske, and she is said to have been a comely5, intelligent and very respectable woman.
There is a story that he and his brother, Elskwatawa, the Prophet, were twins, and even that a third brother, Kumshaka, were the offspring of the same mother at the same birth, though, according to one account, the Prophet and a twin brother were some years younger than Tecumseh. Eggleston is of the opinion that the Prophet and a twin brother were born in 1771.
We hear little or nothing of Kumshaka, and the presumption7 is that he died young.
There were seven children in this interesting family, two others—Cheeseekau, the oldest brother, and Menewaula-Koosee, or Tecumapease, the name given to her later in life, according to the Indian usage, to signify her relationship to the great Tecumseh—were also famous.
His father's death occurring when Tecumseh was but six years old, he was placed under the charge of his oldest brother, Cheeseekau. The latter was a brave man, of noble character. His chief occupation and care was the proper training of the young Tecumseh, who was early recognized as the hope of the family, and coming leader of his people.
"Skilled in all the games of hunters,
In all youthful sports and pastimes.
It was this same older brother who, by constant and zealous12 labor10, imbued13 his mind with a love for truth, a ready generosity14, a manly courage in battle, and a dignified15 fortitude16 in suffering. He also drilled him in the art of eloquence17, and wrought18 into his mind the idea which afterward19 became the inspiration of the great chieftain—that of the salvation20 of his people from the white man.
Tecumseh always cherished the warmest affection for his only sister, Tecumapease. She is described as being "sensible, kind-hearted and uniformly exemplary in her conduct," and must have been an attractive person, with a commanding character, for she is known to have exercised a remarkable22 influence over the females of her tribe. She was married to a brave called Wasegoboah, or Stand Firm. The mutual23 affection between the brother and sister continued through life. She was always his favorite. The first fruits of the chase belonged to Tecumapease. The choicest presents of the white man to Tecumseh, or the best of his share of the spoils of war. became trophies24 for his sister.
Educated by the care of his elder brother, and cherished by the affection of a noble sister, Tecumseh grew to manhood.
Tecumsah
War was his ruling passion even in his earlier years. He soon became a recognized leader of his companions. Mimic25 combats and sham26 battles were his favorite sports. While his brother, the Prophet, remained at home engaged in idle and disreputable intrigues29, Tecumseh followed the hunters in their chase and the war parties on their way to battle. The Indian warfare30 which raged during his earlier years made a great impression on his mind. He must have heard, around the camp-fires, the stories of the Indian conflicts of the Revolution, the genius of Brant, the murder of Cornstalk, the massacre32 of the Moravian Indians, as well as stories of the great Pontiac and his far-reaching confederacy. These were the things upon which his youthful imagination was nourished.
Tecumseh was only sixteen years of age when he took part in his first battle, near where the city of Dayton, Ohio, now stands. It is said that the boy took fright and fled. A similar story is told of the great Seneca chief, Red Jacket, and of Frederick the Great. But, if true, it is the only time he was ever guilty of such weakness.
Shortly after this he participated in an attack on a flatboat descending33 the Ohio River. At this time he fought like a young lion, completely wiping out the stain of cowardice34. All the boatmen were killed but one, who was reserved for torture. Strange to say, since it could not have been an unusual occurrence, the young warrior35 had never before witnessed such a scene. Filled with horror, he remonstrated36 against the practice with such eloquence that all agreed that they would never burn another prisoner. From that time forth37 no prisoners were burned by any war party of which Tecumseh was a member.
When he was nineteen years of age, Tecumseh and Cheeseekau took a long journey to the South. This, the older brother believed, would tend to enlarge the understanding of his pupil with general ideas. They traveled as far as the country of the Creeks39 and Cherokees, and found the latter engaged in a war with the whites.
The two brothers and their band of warriors40 at once enlisted41 in the struggle. In an attack on a certain fort Cheeseekau led the charge. Just before the attack he told his followers43 that in the conflict he would be shot in the forehead and killed. The premonition was verified literally44, for he fell, pierced by a bullet midway between the eyes. As he fell mortally wounded upon the battlefield he exclaimed with his expiring breath, "Happy am I to thus fall in battle, and not die in a wigwam like an old squaw." The Indians, panic-stricken at the fall of their leader, as well as the fulfillment of the prophecy, fled in all directions.
After the fall of Cheeseekau the band of warriors chose Tecumseh, though the youngest of the party, as their leader. To show himself worthy45 of this honor Tecumseh took ten men, and going to the nearest white settlement attacked and killed all the men and took the women and children prisoners. No expedition was thought complete without Tecumseh, and his military genius won him great renown46.
One night Tecumseh, with a dozen warriors, was encamped on the Alabama River. All of the men had lain down for the night except the young chief, who was dressing47 some meat by the fire. Suddenly the camp was attacked by thirty white men. With a shrill48 cry Tecumseh roused every warrior to his feet. Their leader at their head, the Indians rushed furiously toward a certain point in the circle formed by their foes49. Two white men were killed outright50, and the others, giving way before the impetuous charge, suffered Tecumseh and his band to break through and make their way to their boats.
After an absence from Ohio of three years, during which Tecumseh had many adventures, and visited all the Southern tribes, he returned to his people in the fall of 1790.
During his absence General Harmar had been defeated and his army cut to pieces by the Indians under the famous Miami chief, Little Turtle, and the Shawnee sachem, Blue Jacket.
He was in time, however, to take part in the defeat of General St. Clair by the Indians under Little Turtle, which was the most decisive victory ever gained by the American Indians. Tecumseh was also present at the battle of Fallen Timbers, so called because the battlefield was covered with fallen forest trees, wrecked52 by some tornado53. It was in this battle that Mad Anthony Wayne crushed the Indian power of the Ohio Valley.
He did not attend the council of Greenville, when the treaty was made with the Indians, but remained at home in his wigwam, sullen54 and angry. He was at this time still quite young but a man of influence and importance in his nation, for Blue Jacket, the principal chief of the Shawnees, made haste to visit him on Deer Creek and explain the terms on which peace had been made.
He now gathered about him a band of warriors, of whom he became chief. These roving Shawnees, after moving several times, accepted an invitation from the Delawares and settled on the White River, in Indiana, in 1798. Here Tecumseh remained several years, peacefully occupied in hunting. During this time he was extending his influence among the different tribes, and adding to his band of followers.
Many incidents are related of him during his sojourn56 on the White River. He was a great hunter, partly as a matter of sport, and partly because it enabled him to give the highly prized venison to the sick and poor of his tribe. One day a number of young Shawnee Warriors wagered57 him that each of them could kill as many deer in a three days' hunt as he. Tecumseh quietly accepted the challenge, and the hunters made their preparations that evening for a start before daylight the next morning. At the end of the three days the crowd of boasters once more assembled around the camp-fire of their village. The largest number of deerskins brought in by any one of the party was twelve. Tecumseh brought with him thirty.
A characteristic anecdote58 is told of him while he and a party of Indians were on a visit to Ohio in 1803. It seems that a corpulent and cowardly Kentuckian was in the territory at the time for the purpose of exploring lands on the Mad River. He lodged60 one night at the house of Capt. Abner Barrett, residing on the head waters of Buck61 Creek. In the course of the evening he learned, with apparent alarm, that there were some Indians encamped within a short distance of the house. While the conversation was going on the door opened and Tecumseh stalked in with his dignified manner. He saluted62 Captain Barrett, and then, observing the agitated63 visitor, contemplated64 him scornfully for a minute or two, and turning to the host, and pointing to the agitated Kentuckian, he exclaimed: "A big baby!" "A big baby!" He stepped across the room and, patting the Kentuckian on the shoulder, repeated the contemptuous remark, "A big baby! Won't hurt you!" The stout65 Kentuckian was greatly alarmed, and all present amused.
In the year 1805 a portion of the Shawnee nation residing on the headwaters of the Auglaize River, wishing to reassemble their scattered66 people, sent a deputation to Tecumseh and his party (then living on White River), and also to a body of the same tribe upon the Mississiniway, another tributary67 of the Wabash, inviting68 them to remove and join their brethren on the Auglaize River. To this proposition both parties assented69; and the two bands met at Greenville, on their way thither70. There, through the influence of Laulewasikaw, or the Loud Voice, Tecumseh's brother, they concluded to establish themselves; and accordingly the project of going to the Auglaize was abandoned.
This is the first incident recorded of Laulewasikaw. The name "Loud Voice" is thought to refer to his self-assertion and boastfulness, as much as to his really stentorian71 voice. It is thought that Tecumseh was behind his brother in influencing the two parties to unite together at Greenville, as it increased the number of his immediate72 followers.
It happened about this time that an old Shawnee Indian, by the name of Penagashega, or The-Change-of-Feathers, "who had for some years been engaged in the respectable calling of a prophet," fell sick and died. As soon as the news of the old prophet's death reached Laulewasikaw he rolled his eye (he had but one) piously73 toward heaven and fell on his face in a trance, and continued a long time motionless and apparently74 without any signs of life.
He was supposed to be dead and preparations were made for his burial. All the principal men of the tribe were assembled, and they were in the act of bearing him away to his grave, when he suddenly revived and uttered these words: "Be not alarmed—I have seen heaven. Call the tribe together, that I may reveal to them the whole of my vision." The tribe was accordingly collected together, and he proceeded to inform them that two beautiful young men had been sent from heaven by the Great Spirit, who addressed him in the following language: "The Great Spirit is angry with you, and will destroy all the red men, unless you abandon drunkenness, lying and stealing. If you will not do this and turn yourselves to him, you shall never enter the beautiful place which we will now show you."
He was then conducted to the gates of heaven, where he was indulged with a sight of all its glories, but not permitted to enter. After being tantalized75 in this manner for several hours he was ordered to return to the earth, to inform the Indians of what he had seen and urge them to repent76 of their vices78, and they would visit him again. It was in consequence of this vision (?) that Elskwatawa assumed the name and functions of a prophet, and soon acquired an extraordinary celebrity79. He established headquarters at Greenville and proclaimed himself a Prophet and Reformer in place of the departed Change-of-Feathers. Prophet wise, he now assumed a new name, that of Tenskwatawa, which signifies "The Open Door." This name pointed80 him out as a means of deliverance to his people.
He soon gathered around him a large band of adherents81 from the Shawnees, Delawares, Wyandots, Pottawatomies, Ottawas, Chippewas and Kickapoos. To these he boldly announced that the Great Spirit, who had made the red men, was not the same who had made the white men; and that all their misfortunes was due to the fact that they had forsaken82 the mode of life designed for them, and imitated the manners of the whites.
In this address he harangued83 against witchcraft84, a thing much believed in by the Indians, and said that those who practiced it or remained bewitched could not enter heaven. He next denounced drunkenness, and stated on his journey to heaven the first place he came to was the dwelling85 of the Devil. Here he saw all who had died drunkards, with flames of fire issuing from their mouths. He admitted that previous to this he had himself been a drunkard, but his vision had frightened him so that he drank no more. Such was the effect of his preaching against this pernicious vice77 that many of his followers became alarmed and ceased to drink the "firewater," or "crazywater," as whisky was appropriately called by the Indians. He also preached earnestly against the intermarriage of whites and Indians, saying that this was one of the chief causes of their unhappiness. And yet he often boasted that his own grandparents were a noble Creek warrior, and the daughter of one of the Governors of South Carolina. But as there is not a scintilla86 of corroborative87 evidence we are forced to conclude that however truly the Prophet foretold88 the future, he lied about the past. The Prophet advocated a community of goods, an adjustment of things which would have well suited that indolent reformer. He also preached, what Tecumseh constantly practiced, the duty of the young to support and cherish the aged27 and infirm. He denounced innovations in the dress and habits of the red men, and appealed to their national pride, by boasting of the superiority of the Shawnees over other nations. He promised to his faithful adherents who would obey his injunctions all the comfort and happiness enjoyed by their ancestors, before the advent51 of the whites.
Finally he announced that the Great Spirit had given him power to confound his enemies, to cure all diseases, and to prevent death, either from sickness or on the battlefield.
There can be no doubt that the Prophet succeeded in deceiving himself, and was a firm believer in the methods and measures he advocated. Neither is there any doubt that Tecumseh's gradually developing schemes inspired and shaped the Prophet's plans. His was the master mind which controlled the tribes through the machinations of the Prophet.
Elskwatawa shared to some extent the great talents of his brother, but it might have been said of him: "His virtues89 another's, his faults were his own." He was neither courageous90 nor truthful91, but cunning, shrewd and boastful. He equaled his famous brother in eloquence, and surpassed him in graceful92 manners.
Opposition93 was naturally made to the innovations of the new prophet by the neighboring chiefs, who felt that he sought to undermine their power. A course of fanatical persecution94 for witchcraft was begun, shocking in its cruelty and injustice95, but only too much resembling something which occurred at Salem, among people of our own enlightened race.
The superstition96 of the Indians was so great that if the Prophet denounced some chief who opposed him as a wizard, a loss of reputation and perhaps of life ensued. Several Delawares were among the first victims. An old woman was denounced as a witch, and was called upon repeatedly to give up her charm and medicine-bag. She was put to the stake and burned. As she was dying, she exclaimed that her grandson, who was out hunting, had it. He was pursued and arrested. He confessed that he had borrowed the charm, and by means of it had flown through the air over Kentucky to the banks of the Mississippi and back again between twilight97 and bedtime. He insisted, however, that he had returned the charm to his grandmother, and was finally released.
On the following day an old chief named Teteboxti was accused of being a wizard. Knowing that his doom98 was fixed99, the old man arrayed himself in his finest clothes and confronted the grim circle of inquisitors in the council-house. The trial was speedy. The sentence was passed. The old chief calmly assisted in the construction of his own funeral pile. Touched by his white hairs, the council became merciful. They voted to tomahawk him and burn his body afterward. This was done. A council was held over the wife of Teteboxti and his nephew, Billy Paterson. The latter died like a Christian100, singing and praying. Preparations were then made for the burning of Teteboxti's wife when her brother, a young man of twenty, suddenly started up and bravely led her by the hand out of the house. He returned to the amazed council and said "The Devil" (alluding to the Prophet), "has come among us, and we are killing101 each other." He then reseated himself. This seemed to break the spell and to awaken102 the Indians to a realization103 of what they were doing, and put a stop for a time to further persecution among the Delawares.
But with other tribes the witchcraft delusion104 continued, until Governor Harrison was justly alarmed. He knew that although the Indians had been quiet for ten years, and no ordinary leader could rouse them, yet deceived by a mask of religion, they might once more plunge105 the frontiers into bloody106 war. Moreover, his sympathies were touched by the stories of the poor wretches107 doomed108 to a horrible death by this strange delusion. Accordingly he sent the Indians an earnest letter, urging them in the name of the Seventeen Fires (States) to drive out the Prophet, and boldly asserted that the latter was a fraud. He told the Indians that the pretender could work no miracles. "Ask of him to cause the sun to stand still, the moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow, or the dead to rise from their graves."
But this letter did not accomplish the end desired. For a time, it is true, the persecutions entirely109 ceased, but the influence of the Prophet was increased by his accepting Governor Harrison's challenge to work miracles. Hearing by chance from an educated white man that an eclipse of the sun would occur on a certain day, he boldly announced that on such a day he would cause darkness to cover the sun. The reports of this prophecy, and the fact that he had accepted the Governor's challenge, spread abroad, and on the appointed day there was a large body of Indians, from all the neighboring tribes, assembled.
An hour before noon the Prophet, dressed with dazzling splendor110, came out of his wigwam, and strode with slow and stately steps toward the center of the large circle. Extending his right arm and turning his face toward the heavens, he pronounced an unintelligible111 incantation. As he proceeded a disc of darkness was observed to be slowly appearing upon the edge of the sun. The eyes of the vast assemblage were turned from the Prophet toward the phenomenon. As the moments progressed the dark spot enlarged. It grew darker and darker. The multitude was thrilled with awe112. Not a few believed the end of the world was at hand. The deep shadows, the darkened air, the increasing obscurity, which at sunset would have attracted no attention, occurring in the middle of the day, with the sun in high heaven, seemed portentous113 and awful. The Prophet alone remained calm. At the moment of total eclipse he cried out in a loud voice, "Behold114! did I not prophesy115 truly? Darkness has come over the sun as I told you."
The reports of this miracle (?) gave a wonderful impulse to the fame of the Prophet. Tecumseh now appeared on the scene. He took care to lend the aid of his powerful name and influence to the Prophet by an ostentatious reverence117. The latter returned the compliment by pointing out Tecumseh as the leader chosen by the Great Spirit to save the Indians. The brothers were thus a mutual benefit. The Indians were fired with fanaticism118 and eager for a fight under such heaven-appointed leaders.
The whites were alarmed. The ever increasing throng119 of savages121 about Tecumseh and his brother seemed ready to break out into violence. At a council in Ohio, Tecumseh made a three hours' speech. He reviewed all the treaties with the white men, and undertook to prove that all had been broken by the enemies of his people. The Indians were roused to a perfect frenzy122 by his fiery123 eloquence.
In the spring of 1808 the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos granted the two brothers and their band a tract21 of land on the Tippecanoe, one of the tributaries124 of the Wabash River in western Indiana. Here they established a village, which came to be known as the Prophet's town. They drew around them a large body of Indians from a number of tribes. The Prophet's followers now for the first time began to combine warlike sports with their religious exercises, showing that Tecumseh's genius for war was gradually predominating over the Prophet's religious fanaticism. The great plan to which Tecumseh now devoted125 all his genius and energies was nothing less than a mighty126 confederation of all the Indian tribes, to drive the white men beyond the Alleghenies.
As the great scheme took shape in his mind it became less and less that of a mere127 temporary alliance, such as Pontiac had sought; and more and more that of a "great and permanent confederation, an empire of red men, of which Tecumseh should be the leader and Emperor." For about four years he traveled incessantly128 in the propagation of his enterprise. Now he visited the farthest extremity129 of Lake Superior. At another time he passed through the unknown regions beyond the Mississippi. Again he labored130 with the Creeks of the South, securing Red Eagle, or Weatherford, as his most illustrious convert.
In 1810 it was reported that Tecumseh controlled more than sixteen hundred warriors. The National Government became alarmed, for it was evident that the exposed settlements of Indiana were in danger.
In September, 1809, a treaty was concluded at Fort Wayne, between the Delawares, Miamis and Pottawatomies, and General Harrison, Governor of the territory and Commissioner131 on the part of the United States. By this treaty the Indians ceded132 to the Government a tract of land extending sixty miles along the Wabash above Vincennes. This was done without the advice or knowledge of Tecumseh, and neither the Prophet nor any of his followers were present during the transaction. They had no claim on the land in question, it having been in the legal possession of the Miamis time out of mind, while the Shawnees were only sojourners. The chiefs of the other tribes attended the council, and advised the cession133, and the transaction was in every respect regular and equitable134 from the white man's stand-point. Yet Tecumseh, who had been absent during the negotiations135 on a mission of intrigue28 among the different tribes, was inflamed136 with anger when he returned and heard what had been done. He openly threatened to kill the chiefs who had signed the treaty, and declared his determination to prevent the land from being surveyed and occupied by the Americans. Harrison being informed of this sent Mr. Dubois to Prophet's Town to discover more fully55, if possible, the designs of the brothers. The messenger was kindly138 received, but nothing was accomplished. To the suggestion that he should go to Vincennes and present his complaints to the Governor, the Prophet replied, "The Great Spirit has fixed the spot for the Indian to kindle139 his camp-fire, and he dare not go to any other. Elskwatawa's and his brother Tecumseh's must be on the banks of the Tippecanoe, or the Great Spirit will be angry with them. Evil birds have carried false news to my father, the Governor. Let him not believe that Elskwatawa, the Prophet, wishes to make war upon him and his people." This ended the interview.
Shortly after this Governor Harrison sent Mr. Baron140, with a letter to Tippecanoe. When this messenger reached the Prophet's town he was received in a very dramatic fashion. He was first conducted ceremoniously to the place where the Prophet, surrounded by a number of Indians, was seated. "The Prophet looked at me," said Mr. Baron, "for several minutes, without speaking or making any sign of recognition, although he knew me well. At last, in a tone expressive141 of anger and scorn, he said: 'For what purpose do you come here? Bronilette was here; he was a spy. Dubois was here; he was a spy. Now you have come; you, too, are a spy. There is your grave! Look on it!' The Prophet then pointed to the ground near the spot where I stood!"
From a lodge59 near by issued the majestic142 form of Tecumseh, who said in a cold and haughty143 tone: "Your life is in no danger. Say why you have come among us." The messenger, in reply, read the letter from Governor Harrison urging them to submit to the Government.
"I know your warriors are brave," the Governor wrote, "but ours are not less so. What can a few brave warriors do against the innumerable warriors of the Seventeen Fires? Our blue-coats are more numerous than you can count; our hunters are like the leaves of the forest, or the grains of sand on the Wabash. Do not think that the red-coats can protect you; they are not able to protect themselves. They do not think of going to war with us. If they did, you would in a few moons see our flag wave over all the forts of Canada. What reason have you to complain of the Seventeen Fires? Have they taken anything from you? Have they ever violated the treaties made with the red men? You say they have purchased lands from those who had no right to sell them. Show that this is so and the land will be instantly restored. Show us the rightful owners. I have full power to arrange this business; but if you would rather carry your complaints before your great father at Washington, you shall be indulged."
Pleased with this letter, Tecumseh said that he would now go to Vincennes and show the Governor that he had been listening to bad men when he was told that the Indians wished to make war. He had never been to see the Governor, but remembered him as a very young man riding beside General Wayne. Thirty of his principal men, he said, would attend him, but the party would probably be larger, as many of the young men would wish to go.
Notwithstanding the request which the Governor made, on hearing this, that but few should come, four hundred descended144 the Wabash on the 12th of August. Painted in the most terrific manner, and armed with tomahawks, they were well prepared for war in case of an attack.
Governor Harrison had made arrangements for holding the council on the portico145 of his own house, {FN} and here, attended by civil and military officers, a small guard of soldiers and many citizens of Vincennes, he awaited the arrival of Tecumseh. It was the 15th of August, 1810. At the appointed hour, Tecumseh, attended by about forty warriors, made his appearance, with much dancing and various curious incantations by the Prophet. Advancing within thirty or forty yards of the house, the chief suddenly halted, as if awaiting some movement on the part of the Governor. An interpreter was sent to invite him and his followers to the portico, but Tecumseh declined this invitation, saying that he thought a grove146 near by, to which he pointed as he spoke147, was a more suitable place. The Governor yielded the point, chairs and benches were removed to the grove, but the Indians, according to their habit, sat upon the grass.
{FN} The old Harrison mansion148 is still standing38 at Vincennes, and was seen by the author a few years ago.
The council was opened by Tecumseh, who stated his position on the irritating question between the whites and his race. Referring to the treaty made by the Governor at Fort Wayne the previous year, he boldly declared that he was determined149 to fight against the cession of lands by the Indians unless assented to by all the tribes acting150 in concert.
He admitted that he had threatened to kill the chiefs who signed the Fort Wayne treaty, and furthermore, he did not intend to let the village chiefs manage their affairs longer, but would place the power heretofore vested in them in the hands of the war-chiefs. The Americans had driven the Indians from the seacoast, and would soon drive them into the lakes; and while he disowned any intention of making war upon the United States, he asserted in the most emphatic151 language, that he would oppose any further intrusion of the whites upon their lands. He made a summary of the wrongs his people had suffered from the close of the Revolution to that day. It was plain that this appeal "struck fire" in the hearts of his own people, who would have followed his commands to the death.
Having finished his speech, Tecumseh turned to seat himself, when he observed that no chair had been provided for him. Governor Harrison immediately ordered one, and, as the interpreter handed it to him, he said, "Your father requests you to be seated." "My father?" said Tecumseh; "the sun is my father and the earth is my mother, on her bosom152 will I repose153;" and drawing his blanket about him with as much dignity as a Roman Senator would his toga, he seated himself among his warriors on the ground. We challenge the world to produce a more eloquent154 sentence than this.
Replying to this address, Governor Harrison declared that the Indians were not one nation, having a common property in the land. The Miamis were the real owners of the tract on the Wabash, ceded by the late treaty, and the Shawnees had no business to interfere155, since, on the arrival of the whites in this country, they had found the Miamis in possession of the land, the Shawnees at that time being residents of Georgia. It was absurd to contend that the Indians constituted one nation, for had such been the will of the Great Spirit, he would not have given them different languages.
The interpretation156 of this speech to Tecumseh threw him into a terrible rage. He sprang to his feet and began speaking in a loud and angry manner. The Governor did not understand his language, but General Gibson, who was present, did, and he remarked to the Governor: "Those fellows intend mischief157 you had better bring up the guard." At the same instant the whole forty warriors grasped their tomahawks, leaped to their feet and glared at the Governor. Harrison leaped to his feet and drew his sword. Capt. G. R. Floyd, of the army, who stood near him, drew a dirk, and the chief, Winnemac, a friendly Indian, cocked his pistol. The citizens present who were unarmed, seized clubs and brick-bats, while Rev31. Mr. Winans, of the Methodist Church, ran to the Governor's house, got a gun, and posted himself at the door to defend the family. During this scene, no one spoke, until the guard came running up, and appearing to be in the act of firing, the Governor ordered them not to do so. He then demanded of the interpreter an explanation of what had happened, who replied that Tecumseh had interrupted him, declaring that all the Governor had said was false; and that he and the Seventeen Fires (States) had cheated and imposed on the Indians.
The Governor then told Tecumseh that he was a bad man, and that he would hold no further communication with him, that as he had come to Vincennes under the protection of a council-fire, he might return in safety, but that he must immediately leave the village. Here the council terminated.
That night two companies of militia158 were brought into the town, and the one belonging there was made ready for the expected attack. Next morning Tecumseh sent an apology to the Governor for his hasty action. He begged another interview and declared that he did not intend to attack him, and said that certain white men were the instigators of the whole thing. In the light of subsequent events, the last statement was true, and those white men were British officers.
Governor Harrison consented to meet him again the next day, and this time Tecumseh comported159 himself with dignity and courtesy. In the course of the talk, the Governor asked the sachem whether he would oppose the survey of the lands. To which he replied that nothing could shake the determination of himself and followers to insist on the old boundary. When he sat down, his leading chiefs followed with the declaration that the Wyandots, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Ottawas and Winnebagos had entered the Shawnee league and would stand by Tecumseh to the end.
Harrison said he would make known this decision to the President, but he was certain that the claim of Tecumseh would never be acknowledged, as the land in question was bought from the Miamis, the original owners, who alone had the right to sell.
On the following day the Governor visited Tecumseh in his camp, attended only by the interpreter, and was very politely received. A long conversation followed, in the course of which the chieftain repeated his sentiments expressed in the council. He viewed the policy of the United States, in purchasing the lands from the Indians, as a mighty flood, which, unless checked, would drown all his people. The confederacy which he had formed to prevent such sales without the consent of all the tribes was the dam he was building to resist the flood. He added that he should be reluctant to take part in a war with the Seventeen Fires, and if the Governor would induce the President to give up the lands lately purchased, and agree never to make another treaty for land without the consent of all the tribes, he would be their faithful ally, and assist them in the war, which he knew was about to take place with England; but if this was not done, he would be compelled to unite with the British, who were very anxious to enlist42 his warriors for allies. The Governor replied that he would make known his views to the President, but there was no hope of their being agreed to.
"Well," said Tecumseh, "as the Great Chief is to settle the matter, I hope the Great Spirit will put enough sense into his head to cause him to give up the land; it is true, he is so far off he will not be injured by the war; he may sit still in his town and drink his wine, while you and I will have to fight it out."
This prophecy, it will be seen, was literally fulfilled, and the great chieftain attested161 that fulfillment with his blood. The Governor, as he was about to leave, proposed to Tecumseh that in the event of war between the Indians and the United States, he would use his influence to put an end to the cruel mode of warfare which the Indians were accustomed to wage upon prisoners or helpless women and children. To this he cheerfully consented; and, to his everlasting162 credit, it is recorded that he faithfully kept the pledge.
Tecumseh must have known that his demands would never be acceded163 to by the United States, for from this time forward the attitude of himself and brother became distinctively164 hostile. The great war-belt was sent around to the neighboring tribes, who were invited to join in a confederacy to "confine the great water" and prevent it from overflowing165 them. The matchless eloquence and sagacity of Tecumseh brought most of the tribes into the alliance.
In the spring of 1811 Governor Harrison sent a boat up the Wabash loaded with salt for the Indians, that article constituting a part of their annuity166. Five barrels were to be left with the Prophet, for the Kickapoos and Shawnees. Upon the arrival of the boat at Tippecanoe, the Prophet called a council, by which it was decided167 to seize all the salt. This was accordingly done; though the year previous the Prophet had refused to take any.
When Governor Harrison referred to the seizure168 of this salt, at the next council held with the Indians, Tecumseh hissed169 back to him, that the Governor was hard to please; he was angry at one time when the Indians took no salt and another year because they did take it.
The Prophet
The last council with Tecumseh was held at Vincennes July 27, 1811, but nothing was accomplished. The chasm170 could not be bridged, since neither of the parties concerned would yield a point. War must come. Two days after the council adjourned171 the great chieftain set off on a journey to the South.
In a letter to the War Department, just after this council, Governor Harrison speaks of "the implicit172 obedience173 and respect which the followers of Tecumseh pay to him," as wonderful. He says: "If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would perhaps be the founder174 of an empire that would rival in glory Mexico or Peru. No difficulties deter137 him. For four years he has been in constant motion. You see him to-day on the Wabash, and in a short time hear of him on the shores of Lake Erie or Michigan, or on the banks of the Mississippi; and wherever he goes he makes an impression favorable to his purpose. He is now upon the last round to put a finishing stroke to his work. I hope, however, before his return, that that part of the work which he considered complete will be demolished175, and even its foundation rooted up."
Tecumseh visited the Choctaws, Creeks or Muskogees, Seminoles and other tribes. His success was marvelous. There seemed no resisting his persuasive176 eloquence. In most instances the determination was unanimous to dig up the hatchet177 whenever he was ready for them.
Like other great generals, Tecumseh gave close attention to details. He invented a calendar showing the exact day on which they were to strike the white settlements. This he did by making little bundles of sticks painted red. Each bundle contained sticks equal to the number of days that would pass before the one arrived which he had indicated to them. Every morning they were to throw away a stick. Thus it was that the Seminoles, in the war which followed, became widely known under the name of "Red Sticks." Tecumseh also directed the Indians, that should the question be asked, why he had come so far? to answer, that he had advised them to till the soil, to abstain178 from the use of "firewater," and to live peacefully with the white people.
At Tuckabatchee, Alabama, Tecumseh addressed the council of the Creek nation, but met a silent opponent in the principal chief, Big Warrior. He at once divined the feelings of this chief. Angrily stamping his foot on the ground, he looked into the eyes of Big Warrior and said: "Your blood is white. You have taken my talk and the sticks, and the wampum, and the hatchet, but you do not mean to fight. I know the reason. You do not believe the Great Spirit has sent me. You shall know. I leave Tuckabatchee directly and shall go straight to Detroit; when I arrive there, I will stamp on the ground with my foot and shake down every house in Tuckabatchee." This was a wild threat, and Big Warrior was dumbfounded. He and his people were superstitious179 and began to dread180 Tecumseh's arrival at Detroit. They often met, talked over the strange affair, and actually tried to compute181 the time it would take the great chieftain to reach that town. When the morning of the day fixed upon arrived, an awful rumbling182 of the ground was heard; the earth began to shake and down came the flimsy lodges183. The frantic184 Indians ran to and fro shouting: "Tecumseh has got to Detroit!" The threat had been fulfilled and the warriors no longer hesitated to go to war with the great leader.
All this was produced by the historical earthquake of New Madrid, on the Mississippi. Strange as it may seem, it is said to have taken place the very day Tecumseh reached Detroit, and in exact fulfillment of his threat.
During the absence of Tecumseh in the South, the Indians at Prophet's Town were so warlike and aggressive that Governor Harrison determined to march to that place and settle the difficulties with the Indians, or break up their rendezvous185.
Accordingly, on September 26, 1811, at the head of nine hundred troops, he started on this expedition. Six days afterward the army encamped on the eastern bank of the Wabash, two miles above the present bustling186 city of Terre Haute. Here a log fort was constructed, and named by the soldiers Fort Harrison.
Leaving a small guard at the new fort, the troops advanced along the east bank of the Wabash, until they passed Big Raccoon Creek. Here it was determined to cross to the other side of the river, to avoid a dense187 woody shore, where there was danger of ambush188. This was effected at a point near the town of Montezuma, Indiana. Advancing still further, at the mouth of the Vermilion River he built a block-house to protect his boats and heavy baggage, and proceeded thence to the immediate vicinity of the Prophet's town. He was desirous of attacking this as soon as possible, because he knew that Tecumseh might return any day.
The army encamped for the night about three-quarters of a mile from the Prophet's town on the now famous Tippecanoe battleground, seven miles northeast of the city of Lafayette. The place was a beautiful spot of timber-land, about ten feet higher than the marshy189 prairie in front, which stretched away toward the Prophet's town, and nearly twice that height above a similar prairie, on the other side, across which sluggishly190 flowed a small stream, its course marked by willows191 and brushwood.
At this point he was met by ambassadors, who asked that the white men refrain from hostilities192 until the following day, when a peace talk could be had. Harrison, however, was too prudent193 to be deluded194 into a belief that no danger threatened. The army settled itself for the night in order of battle, the men sleeping on their arms. Notwithstanding the truce195 those of the soldiers experienced in Indian warfare fully expected an attack before morning light.
Meanwhile the Indians were by no means idle. All night long the chiefs sat in council. A dozen different plans for the attack were proposed. At one time it was decided to meet the whites in council on the next day, agree to their proposals, and withdraw, leaving behind two Winnebagos, who were to rush forward and assassinate196 the Governor. This was to be the signal for battle. Later in the night, which was dark and rainy, the plan was changed. The Prophet, mixing some mysterious concoction197 of "hell-broth," pretended to read in it the fact that one-half of Harrison's army was dead and the other half crazy. Encouraged by this assurance, the whole body of warriors, at four o'clock in the morning, began to creep across the miry prairie toward the American camp.
A little after four in the morning, a sentinel who was gazing on the wide prairie before him, had his attention roused by a strange movement on its surface. Not a breath of wind was stirring, yet the tall grass was waving as if under the influence of a strong breeze. Rapidly the noiseless waves approached nearer till they broke against the rising ground at his feet. "Who goes there?" he shouted, but no voice answered. Suddenly, with the quick thought of a backwoodsman, he stooped down, and looking through and under the grass, beheld198 an Indian stealthily creeping toward him! He fired; in an instant a tremendous war-whoop, the nightmare of all who slept in a hostile Indian country, was heard on all sides, and the force of savage120 warriors rushed upon the American lines. The Indians were commanded by White Loon199, Stone Eater and Winnemac, the Pottawatomie chief who had professed200 so much friendship for the Governor, at the time of the first council at Vincennes. The guard gave way at the point of attack, but the men who had been sleeping on their arms were immediately prepared to receive the Indians bravely. The suddenness of the attack might have created a panic even among veterans, yet the men stood their ground, though only one in twenty had ever been under fire before. But many of them were Kentuckians, and "the bravest of the brave."
The camp-fires were quickly extinguished, that their light might not assist the Indians, and the battle raged in the darkness on all sides. Elskwatawa had prophesied201 that the American bullets would rebound202 from the bodies of the Indians, and that they would be provided with light, while all would be "thick darkness" to their enemies. He had evidently heard of Moses and Pharaoh. For some reason, however, he did not personally try the truth of his prophecies by engaging in the fight; unwilling203 "to attest160 at once the rival powers of a sham prophecy and a real American bullet." Stationing himself on a small hill near at hand, he chanted a war-song, and presided like an evil genius over this battle. Though invisible in the darkness, his shrill and piercing voice could be distinctly heard above the noise. To the messengers that came to tell him that, despite his assurances, his followers were falling, he said: "Tell them to keep on fighting and it will be as the Prophet has said."
In the confusion of the sudden attack the large white horse of Governor Harrison could not be found, and he mounted a borrowed plug of a different color instead. This circumstance doubtless saved his life. One of his aides, who also rode a white horse, fell in the very beginning of the attack, pierced by a dozen balls. There can be no doubt he was mistaken for his chief, whom the Indians determined to kill at all hazards.
During the battle General Harrison rode from one side of the camp to the other, disposing his men to the best advantage, and inspiring them by his personal courage. A ball passed through his hat and another his hair, but he escaped unhurt. At one time he stopped to reprove a cowardly French ensign, who sheltered himself behind a tree, and told him he ought to be ashamed to be under shelter when his men were exposed.
The Frenchman, when the battle was over, complained bitterly. "I vas not behind de tree," he said; "de tree vas before me. Dere vas de tree, and here vas my position; how can I help? I can not move de tree; I can not leaf my position."
The Indians made use of deer hoofs204 instead of drums to signal an advance or retreat; making with them certain rattling205 sounds. Never were savages known to battle more desperately206. For once they quite abandoned their practice of fighting from behind shelter, and rushed right up to the bayonets of their foes. The conflict lasted until shortly after daylight, when with a last charge the troops routed the savages and put them to flight.
When the Indians fled the whites found thirty-seven of their own number killed and one hundred and fifty-one wounded. Twenty-five of the latter died of their wounds. The loss of the Indians was thought to be equally great.
The Prophet's influence was gone forever, "You are a liar," said a Winnebago warrior to him whom they had lately revered207 as a messenger from the Great Spirit, "for you told us that the white people were dead or crazy, when they were all in their senses and fought like the devil."
The Prophet replied, in a tone strangely different from that which he was accustomed to use, that there had been some mistake in the compounding of his "medicine." The enraged208 Indians bound him and threatened him with death, but finally released him.
The second day after the battle the Americans advanced to the Prophet's town. No defiant209 war-whoop greeted them. The place was deserted210, having been abandoned in a panic.
The Indians, more civilized211 than most tribes, had left behind all their household furniture, many firearms (supplied by the British), great quantities of corn, numbers of hogs212 and chickens. The only inhabitant was an aged chief with a broken leg, who had been left by his people. Having dressed the wound of the chief and provided sufficient food to last him several days, they told him to say to the Indians that those who should leave the Prophet and return to their own tribes should be forgiven. Then taking the provisions for their own use the entire village was destroyed.
Tecumseh was already on his way home, after a very successful trip. Red Eagle and the Creeks were preparing for war. The Cherokees, the Osages, the Seminoles, were all ready to take up the hatchet.
The great confederacy seemed almost an accomplished fact. Confident and exultant213, Tecumseh hurried back to the Prophet's town. He was ignorant of what had happened. As he and his party approached they gave the salute-yell. Instead of a wild chorus in answer from the direction of the village, all was as silent as the tomb.
Anxious and alarmed, he hurried forward. He soon saw the spot where the village had stood, but not a cabin was to be seen. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, to see if it was not a dream, a nightmare. Not so. The village had disappeared. Only heaps of ashes marked its sight; "Simply this and nothing more." All its fortifications, all the stores of ammunition214, arms and provision, the result of years of weary toil215, were gone. Tecumseh knew at once what had happened. He was overwhelmed with sorrow. Just at the moment of apparent triumph he found the very foundation of the structure dissolved in thin air. Guided by some stragglers, Tecumseh hurried to the camp, where the disgraced Prophet awaited, with fear and trembling, his brother's return. Great and terrible was Tecumseh's anger. He bitterly reproached his brother, and was so enraged that he seized the unfortunate impostor by the hair and shook him until life was well nigh extinct. The battle had been fought in direct opposition to his orders.
The Prophet was an object of contempt ever afterward. The very boys yelled and jeered216 at him as he sneaked217 through a village. Yet, because he was Tecumseh's brother, he was saved from further punishment.
Tecumseh wrote to General Harrison that he desired to go to Washington and see the Great Father. The request was granted, but he was required to go alone. This wounded the spirit of the disappointed man. The would-be emperor refused to go without a retinue218. Filled with unutterable fury, he joined the English army in Canada. When invited to take part in a peace council, he said: "No! I have taken sides with my father, the King, and I will suffer my bones to bleach219 on this shore before I will recross that stream to take part in any council of neutrality."
Tecumseh took an active part in the war and before long found himself at the head of seven hundred warrior's. Nearly all the war-chiefs followed his lead and went over to the British side. Shortly after this, because of bravery in what is known as the battle of Brownstown, and in recognition of his eminent220 ability, Tecumseh was made a brigadier-general in the British army. He is thought to have been the only American Indian who ever held so high a position, except Gen. Ely S. Parker, of the Rebellion.
Major-General Brock, a brave and generous gentleman, was now in command of the British army. He was as much honored and respected by his Indian ally as General Proctor, his successor, was afterward despised.
General Brock and Tecumseh, with their combined force, took a position at Sandwich, a place opposite Detroit. Here the commander-in-chief asked his ally what sort of a country he would have to pass through in order to get to Detroit. Tecumseh, taking a roll of elm bark, and extending it on the ground and securing it in place by four stones, drew his scalping-knife, and, with the point, etched upon the bark a plan of the country, showing its hills, rivers, woods, morasses221 and roads. Pleased with this unexpected talent in Tecumseh, as well as by the fact that he induced the Indians not of his immediate party to cross the river first. General Brock took off his splendid sash and, in the presence of the army, placed it around the body of the chief. Tecumseh received the honor with evident gratification; but was next day seen without his sash. General Brock, fearing something had displeased222 the chief, sent his interpreter for an explanation. The latter soon returned with the report that Tecumseh, not wishing to wear such a mark of distinction, when an older, and as he said, abler warrior than himself was present, had transferred the sash to Roundhead, the Wyandot chief.
In this the great chief showed his shrewdness, knowing the Indian's love of display and the tendency in human nature to jealousy223. Moreover, he would not be so conspicuous224 in battle.
As is well known, the American general, Hull225, made a cowardly surrender of Detroit. He was court-martialed and sentenced to be shot, but was pardoned because of his age and his services during the Revolution.
At the time of the surrender, General Brock asked Tecumseh not to allow the Indians to abuse the prisoners. "Have no fear," he replied; "I despise them too much to meddle226 with them."
The surrender of Detroit exposed the whole Northwestern frontier to the ravages227 of the enemy. General Brock was killed at the battle of Queenstown and the command of the British army devolved upon General Proctor. He had under him in the spring of 1813 fourteen hundred British and eighteen hundred Indian allies, commanded by Tecumseh. The Americans to meet this force had only twelve hundred troops and a small force of Indians, under the command of General Harrison; but they were Americans, and many of them from Kentucky.
Red Cloud
One of the most disastrous228 affairs of the war was in connection with the attack upon Fort Meigs. It seems that Colonel Dudley and his force had been sent to the opposite side of the river to seize a battery erected229 by the enemy and spike230 the cannon231. They gained possession of the battery, but before they could complete their work the enemy rallied in overwhelming numbers. Nearly every one who escaped the rifle and tomahawk was captured, Dudley being one of those who was tomahawked and scalped.
The prisoners were taken to Proctor's headquarters, where the Indians tomahawked such as they pleased. More than twenty were murdered in this horrible manner. General Proctor made no attempt to restrain them, but was looking calmly upon the fiendish work, when he heard a voice in the Indian tongue shouting something at the rear. Turning his head he saw Tecumseh dashing forward, his horse at full speed. The instant he reached the spot he leaped off, and seeing two Indians in the act of killing an American, seized one by the throat and the other by the breast and hurled232 them to the ground. Drawing his tomahawk and scalping-knife he sprang between the Indians and their victims, and, brandishing233 the weapons with the fury of a madman dared any one of the blood thirsty savages to attempt to injure another prisoner. His consuming wrath234 cowed all, and they slunk away from him. Turning to Proctor, he sternly demanded why he had not stopped the massacre.
"Sir," replied the British general, "your Indians can not be restrained."
"Begone!" thundered Tecumseh; "you are not fit to command! Go home and put on the petticoat of a squaw!"
Call him barbarian235, if you will, but remember, that of the two commanders the fiend who looked on complacently236 during this cruel butchery of defenseless white prisoners, was white; while he who risked his life to prevent it, was a red man.
Another instance in the career of this truly great man is given by Drake. Shortly after he had stopped the slaughter238 of the captives he noticed a small group of Indians interested in something. Colonel Elliott said to him: "Yonder are four of your people who have been taken prisoners you may do what you please with them." Tecumseh walked over to the group and found four Shawnees, who, while fighting on the side of the Americans, had been captured. "Friends," said Tecumseh, "Colonel Elliott has placed you under my charge and I will send you back to your nation, with a talk to your people."
Accordingly, he took them with the army as far as Raisin239, from which point their return home would be less dangerous, and then sent two of his warriors to accompany them with a friendly message to their chiefs. They were thus discharged, under their parole not to fight against the British during the war.
Tecumseh was an unruly ally, because he despised Proctor. One day, provisions being scarce, salt beef was given the English soldiers, while the Indians received only horse-flesh. Angered at the outrage240, Tecumseh strode to Proctor's tent and demanded an explanation. Seeing the English general about to treat the complaint with indifference241, Tecumseh significantly struck the hilt of the commander's sword, touching242 at the same time the handle of his tomahawk, and said: "You are Proctor. I am Tecumseh." This hint at a mode of settling the difficulty brought Proctor to terms at once.
After an unsuccessful attempt to reduce Fort Stephenson, then garrisoned243 by one hundred and sixty men commanded by Major Croghan, Proctor and his forces retreated to Malden.
About this time, an American citizen, Captain Le Croix, was arrested by order of the British commander and confined on board a ship, to be sent to Montreal. Tecumseh had an especial friendship for Le Croix, and it may have been because of his influence with the chief that he was seized. Tecumseh, suspecting that Le Croix had been imprisoned244, called on General Proctor, and asked if he knew anything of his friend. He even ordered the British general to tell him the truth, adding, "If I ever detect you in a falsehood, I, with my Indians, will immediately abandon you." The general was obliged to acknowledge that Le Croix was a prisoner. Tecumseh then demanded that his friend should be instantly liberated245. General Proctor wrote a line stating that the "King of the Woods" desired the release of Captain Le Croix, and that it must be done at once. The order was obeyed. Tecumseh treated the American commander with equal contempt. A recent writer gives a challenge which that great chief sent to General Harrison at the first siege of Fort Meigs. It was as follows:
"General Harrison: I have with me eight hundred braves. You have an equal number in your hiding place. Come out with them and give me battle. You talked like a brave when we met at Vincennes, and I respected you, but now you hide behind logs and in the earth, like a ground-hog. Give me answer.
"Tecumseh."
The Americans always had great confidence in Tecumseh, though he was an enemy. Once when the English and Indians were encamped near the River Raisin, some Sauks and Winnebagos entered the house of a Mrs. Ruland and began to plunder246 it. She immediately sent her little daughter to ask Tecumseh to come to her assistance. The chief was in council and was making a speech when the child entered the building and pulled the skirts of Tecumseh's hunting-shirt, saying, "Come to our house, there are bad Indians there." Tecumseh did not wait to finish his speech, but walked rapidly to the house. At the entrance he met some Indians dragging a trunk away. He knocked down the first one with a blow from his tomahawk. The others prepared to resist. "Dogs!" cried the chief, "I am Tecumseh!" The Indians immediately fled and Tecumseh turned upon some English officers who were standing near: "You," said he, "are worse, than dogs, to break your faith with prisoners." The officers immediately apologized to Mrs. Ruland, and offered to put a guard around her house. She declined this offer, however, saying that she was not afraid so long as that man, pointing to Tecumseh, was near.
The ill success which attended the efforts of the British caused Tecumseh not only to lose heart, but dissipated what little faith he had felt in Proctor. He seriously meditated247 a withdrawal248 from the contest. Assembling the Shawnees, Wyandots and Ottawas, who were under his command, he declared his intention to them. He told them that when they had taken up the tomahawk and joined their father, the King, they were promised plenty of white men to fight with them; "but the number is not now greater," said he, "than at the commencement of the war; and we are treated by them like the dogs of snipe hunters; we are always sent ahead to start the game. It is better that we should return to our own country, and let the Americans come on and fight the British."
To this proposition his followers agreed; but the Sioux and Chippewas discovering his intention, went to him, and insisted that inasmuch as he had first united with the British, and had been instrumental in bringing their tribes into the alliance, he ought not to leave them; and through their influence he was finally induced to remain.
Tecumseh's last grudge249 against Proctor was on account of the retreat of the English from Malden, after Commodore Perry's victory on Lake Erie. The Indians did not understand the movements of a naval250 battle, and General Proctor, who doubtless dreaded251 the influence of a defeat upon them, said to Tecumseh, "My fleet has whipped the Americans, but the vessels252 being much injured have gone to Put-in-Bay to refit, and will be here in a few days."
The suspicions of Tecumseh were soon aroused, however, when he thought he perceived indications of a plan to retreat from Maiden253. When he spoke to Proctor on the subject, that cringing254 coward told him that he was only going to send all his valuables up the Thames, where they would be met by a reinforcement and be safe. Tecumseh, however, felt sure that the commander was meditating255 a retreat. He demanded, in the name of his Indians, that he be heard by General Proctor. Audience was granted him on September 18, and the Indian orator256 delivered his last speech, a copy of which was afterward found in Proctor's baggage when it was captured. We can only quote two paragraphs from it here:
"You always told us," said he, "you would never draw your foot off British ground; but now, father, we see that you are drawing back, and we are sorry to see our father doing so without seeing the enemy. We must compare our father's conduct to a fat dog that carries its tail on its back, but when affrighted drops it between its legs and runs off. Father, listen! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land; neither are we sure they have done so by water; we, therefore wish to remain here and fight our enemy, should they make their appearance. If they defeat us, we will then retreat with our father.
"Father, you have got the arms and ammunition which our great father sent to his red children. If you have an idea of going away, give them to us and you may go, and welcome. For us, our lives are in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are determined to defend our lands, and if it be his will, we wish to leave our bones upon them."
In spite of Tecumseh's protest, Proctor burned Malden and began a retreat. He pretended from time to time that he would halt and give battle. When the retreat commenced, Tecumseh said, "We are now going to follow the British, and I am sure that we shall never return." At last, on October 5, Proctor was forced to halt and oppose the pursuing Americans in the battle of the Thames. Just before the engagement Tecumseh said to the group of chiefs around him: "Brother warriors, we are about to enter into an engagement, from which I shall never come out—my body will remain on the field of battle." Unbuckling his sword and handing it to a chief, he said, "When my son becomes a noted257 warrior and able to wield258 a sword, give this to him."
The battle which followed was for a time fiercely contested, and the position selected was well adapted for defense237. The Indians, under their indomitable leader, stood their ground longer than the British regulars.
Proctor fled, like the coward he was, leaving the great chief and his warriors to receive the brunt of the battle. The flight of the British commander was too rapid for him to be overtaken, though they captured his baggage.
With one arm bleeding and almost useless, Tecumseh, too proud to fly, stood his ground, dealing259 prodigious260 blows right and left, and inspiring his warriors with his loud commanding war-whoop, which was heard above the din6 of the battle.
Col. Richard M. Johnson and his Kentucky cavalry261 were ordered to charge the Indians. This they did with such fury that the savage warriors fled; but not until their intrepid262 leader had received a bullet through his head, which stilled his clarion263 voice in death.
The discussion as to who killed Tecumseh became a singularly heated one in subsequent political campaigns, the chief recommendation for office in that day being skill as an Indian fighter.
The friends of Col. Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, claimed that honor for their hero when he was a candidate for the Vice-Presidency264. This, indeed, constituted one of his chief claims to the suffrage265 of his party, just as Harrison's victories at Tippecanoe and the Thames elevated him to the Presidency. Johnson himself never made the claim, saying that his assailant was so close upon him that he did not stop to ask him his name before shooting him.
It may be doubted whether anybody ever did know who fired the shot that killed the great chief. Those who saw him shot, from the American side, did not know him from any other Indian, for there was nothing in his dress to distinguish him from his warriors, and the Indians who saw him fall did not know his slayer266. Many mistook the body of a gayly dressed and painted warrior for that of Tecumseh.
James, the English historian, and Eggleston, both assert that from the body of this Indian much of the skin was actually flayed267 and converted into razor-strops by some of the pioneer Kentuckians, who had become almost as barbarous as the savages against whom they fought. The truth of this statement is confirmed by the testimony268 of several American officers and privates who were in the battle of the Thames. They state, however, that it was the work of a few brutish individuals, and that the great mass of the army were shocked at its perpetration. {FN}
{FN} The author when a youth was told by Dr. William A. Moore, of Milford, Kentucky, a member of the Legislature and an old-school gentleman of the highest integrity, that he (the Doctor) had seen a razor-strop made from the skin that covered Tecumseh's backbone269. It has been demonstrated that Tecumseh's body was not harmed, but another Indian mistaken for him was both scalped and flayed.
A short distance from where Tecumseh fell, the body of his friend, Wasegoboah, the husband of Tecumapease, was found. They had often fought side by side, and now, in front of their men, bravely battling the enemy, they side by side closed their mortal careers.
The British historian, James, in his account of the battle of the Thames, makes the following remarks upon the character and personal appearance of the subject of this sketch.
"Thus fell the Indian warrior, Tecumseh, in the forty-fourth year of his age. He was of the Shawnee tribe, five feet ten inches high, and with more than the usual stoutness270, possessed271 all the agility272 and perseverance273 of the Indian character. His carriage was dignified, his eye penetrating274, his countenance275, which even in death betrayed the indications of a lofty spirit, rather of the sterner cast.
"Had he not possessed a certain austerity of manners, he could not have controlled the wayward passions of those who followed him to battle. He was of a silent habit; but when his eloquence became roused into action by the reiterated276 encroachments of the Americans, his strong intellect could supply him with a flow of oratory277 that enabled him, as he governed in the field, so to prescribe in the council.
"Such a man was the unlettered savage, Tecumseh. He has left a son, who, when his father fell, was about seventeen years old, and fought by his side. The prince regent in 1814, out of respect to the memory of the old, sent out as a present to the young Tecumseh, a handsome sword. Unfortunately, however, for the Indian cause and country, faint are the prospects278 that Tecumseh, the son, will ever equal, in wisdom or prowess, Tecumseh, the father."
The name of Tecumseh's son was Pugeshashenwa. The prince regent also settled upon him an annual pension, in consideration of his father's services. He was treated with much respect, because he was the son of his father, and removed to Indian Territory with the remnant of the Shawnee nation.
Tecumseh is described as a perfect Apollo in form, his face oval, his nose straight and handsome, and his mouth regular and beautiful. His eyes, singularly enough, were "hazel, clear and pleasant in conversation, but like balls of fire when excited by anger or enthusiasm." His bearing was that of a lofty and noble spirit, a true "King of the Woods," as the English called him. He was temperate279 in his habits, loving truth and honor better than life. He was an ideal Indian, and both in body and mind the finest flower of the aboriginal280 American race.
Possessing a genius which must have made him eminent in any age or country, like Brant, Pontiac and King Philip, his illustrious predecessors281, he had failed yet like them he was great in defeat. He was the first great chieftain to prohibit the massacre of prisoners.
Trumbull, in his "Indian Wars," thus refers to this renowned282 leader: "He was the most extraordinary Indian that has ever appeared in history. His acute understanding very early in life informed him that his countrymen had lost their importance that they were gradually yielding to the whites, who were acquiring an imposing283 influence over them. Instigated284 by these considerations, and perhaps by his natural ferocity and attachment285 to war, he became a decided enemy to the whites, with an invincible286 determination to regain287 for his country the proud independence she had lost.
"Aware, at length, of the extent, number and power of the United States, he became fully convinced of the futility288 of any single nation of red men attempting to cope with them."
Death of Tecumseh
"He formed, therefore, the grand scheme of uniting all the tribes east of the Mississippi into hostility289 against the United States. This was a field worthy of his great and commanding genius."
Besides several towns in different States christened in his honor, his name was also borne by one of the greatest of American generals.
At the meeting of the Republican National Committee in Washington, November 23, 1891, to select a city in which to hold a Presidential convention, President Palmer, of the World's Fair Commission, gave in an eloquent plea for the selection of Detroit, the promise to take the visitors thirty miles over into Canada to view the spot where Tecumseh, "the greatest Indian the American continent ever knew, was slain290."
Paradoxical as it may seem, he was a savage, yet one of nature's noblemen.
The words of Hamlet apply to this "King of the Woods" in a striking manner:
"See, what a grace was seated on this brow
Hyperion's locks; the front of Jove himself;
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command
New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill
A combination, and a form, indeed,
Where every god did seem to set his seal,
To give the world assurance of a man."
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收听单词发音
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1
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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2
meteoric
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| adj.流星的，转瞬即逝的，突然的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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comely
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| adj.漂亮的，合宜的 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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18
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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trophies
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| n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖 | |
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mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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intrigue
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| vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋 | |
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intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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30
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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rev
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| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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remonstrated
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| v.抗议( remonstrate的过去式和过去分词 )；告诫 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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40
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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41
enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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42
enlist
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| vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍 | |
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43
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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45
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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46
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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47
dressing
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| n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料 | |
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48
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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49
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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50
outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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51
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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52
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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53
tornado
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| n.飓风，龙卷风 | |
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54
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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55
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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56
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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57
wagered
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| v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 )；保证，担保 | |
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58
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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59
lodge
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| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
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60
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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61
buck
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| n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃 | |
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62
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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63
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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64
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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66
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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67
tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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71
stentorian
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| adj.大声的，响亮的 | |
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72
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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73
piously
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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74
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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75
tantalized
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| v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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77
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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78
vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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celebrity
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| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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80
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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81
adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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82
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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83
harangued
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
witchcraft
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| n.魔法，巫术 | |
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85
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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scintilla
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| n.极少，微粒 | |
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corroborative
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| adj.确证（性）的，确凿的 | |
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88
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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89
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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90
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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91
truthful
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| adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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94
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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95
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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97
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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101
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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102
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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103
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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104
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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105
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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106
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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107
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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108
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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109
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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110
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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112
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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114
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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115
prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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116
rebukes
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的第三人称单数 ) | |
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117
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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118
fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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119
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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120
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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121
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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122
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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123
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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124
tributaries
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| n. 支流 | |
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125
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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126
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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127
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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128
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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129
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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130
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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131
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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132
ceded
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| v.让给，割让，放弃( cede的过去式 ) | |
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133
cession
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| n.割让，转让 | |
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134
equitable
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| adj.公平的；公正的 | |
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135
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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136
inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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137
deter
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| vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住 | |
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138
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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139
kindle
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| v.点燃，着火 | |
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140
baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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141
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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142
majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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143
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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144
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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145
portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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146
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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147
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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148
mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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149
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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150
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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151
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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152
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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153
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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154
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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155
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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156
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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157
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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158
militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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159
comported
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| v.表现( comport的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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160
attest
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| vt.证明，证实；表明 | |
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161
attested
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| adj.经检验证明无病的，经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 )；证实；声称…属实；使宣誓 | |
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162
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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163
acceded
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的过去式和过去分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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164
distinctively
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| adv.特殊地，区别地 | |
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165
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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166
annuity
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| n.年金；养老金 | |
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167
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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168
seizure
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| n.没收；占有；抵押 | |
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169
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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170
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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171
adjourned
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| （使）休会， （使）休庭( adjourn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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172
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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173
obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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174
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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175
demolished
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| v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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176
persuasive
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| adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的 | |
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177
hatchet
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| n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀 | |
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178
abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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179
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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180
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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181
compute
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| v./n.计算，估计 | |
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182
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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183
lodges
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| v.存放( lodge的第三人称单数 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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184
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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185
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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186
bustling
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| adj.喧闹的 | |
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187
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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188
ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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189
marshy
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| adj.沼泽的 | |
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190
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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191
willows
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| n.柳树( willow的名词复数 )；柳木 | |
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192
hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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193
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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194
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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195
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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196
assassinate
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| vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤 | |
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197
concoction
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| n.调配(物)；谎言 | |
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198
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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199
loon
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| n.狂人 | |
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200
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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201
prophesied
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| v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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202
rebound
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| v.弹回；n.弹回，跳回 | |
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203
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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204
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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205
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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206
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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207
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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208
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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209
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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210
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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211
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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212
hogs
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| n.（尤指喂肥供食用的）猪( hog的名词复数 )；（供食用的）阉公猪；彻底地做某事；自私的或贪婪的人 | |
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213
exultant
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| adj.欢腾的，狂欢的，大喜的 | |
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214
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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215
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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216
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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217
sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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218
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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219
bleach
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| vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂 | |
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220
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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221
morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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222
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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223
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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224
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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225
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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226
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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227
ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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228
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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229
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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230
spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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231
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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232
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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233
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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234
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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235
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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236
complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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237
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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238
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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239
raisin
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| n.葡萄干 | |
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240
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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241
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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242
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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243
garrisoned
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| 卫戍部队守备( garrison的过去式和过去分词 )； 派部队驻防 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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245
liberated
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| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
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246
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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247
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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248
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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249
grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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250
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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251
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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252
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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254
cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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255
meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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256
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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257
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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258
wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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259
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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260
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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261
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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262
intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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263
clarion
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| n.尖音小号声；尖音小号 | |
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264
presidency
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| n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期) | |
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suffrage
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| n.投票，选举权，参政权 | |
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266
slayer
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| n. 杀人者，凶手 | |
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flayed
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| v.痛打( flay的过去式和过去分词 )；把…打得皮开肉绽；剥（通常指动物）的皮；严厉批评 | |
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268
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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269
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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stoutness
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| 坚固，刚毅 | |
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271
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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273
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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reiterated
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| 反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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oratory
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| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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278
prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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279
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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280
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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predecessors
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| n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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283
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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284
instigated
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| v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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285
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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286
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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287
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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288
futility
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| n.无用 | |
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289
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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290
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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291
herald
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| vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎 | |
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