"
[Illustration: TECUMSEH.]
This base falsehood did not deceive the wily Indian. The sagacious eye
of Tecumseh soon perceived indications of a retreat. He finally
demanded, in the name of the Indians under his command, to be heard, and
on September 18, 1813, delivered to Proctor, as the representative of
their great father, the king, the following speech:
"Father, listen to your children. You have them now all before you. The
war before this, our British father gave the hatchet to his red
children, when our old chiefs were alive. They are now dead. In that war
our father was thrown on his back by the Americans, and our father took
them by the hand without our knowledge, and we are afraid that our
father will do so again at this time. Summer before last, when I came
forward with my red brethren and was ready to take up the hatchet in
favor of our British father, we were told not to be in a hurry, that he
had not yet determined to fight the Americans. Listen! when war was
declared, our father stood up and gave us the tomahawk, and told us that
he was ready to strike the Americans; that he wanted our assistance,
and that he would certainly get our lands back which the Americans had
taken from us. Listen! you told us at that time, to bring forward our
families to this place, and we did so; and you promised to take care of
them, and they should want for nothing, while the men would go and fight
the enemy; that we need not trouble ourselves about the enemies'
garrisons; that we knew nothing about them, and that our father would
attend to that part of the business.
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