Page:Tupper family records - 1835.djvu/221

 and the restoration of the Indians to their primitive rights, power, and happiness. There was nothing I then so ardently desired as that of being a warrior, and I even envied those, who were to achieve these important objects, the fame and glory that would redound as a necessary result. In a short time afterwards, however, the Osages rejected Te-cum-seh's proposals, and all these brilliant prospects vanished. ' '

Speech of Te-cum-seh, delivered on the 18th Sep>tember, 1813, before the British Council of War, at Anther stbur g, Upper Canada.

" 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.

"The 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 then ready to strike the Americans ; that he wanted our assistance ; and that he would certainly get us 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 that they should want for nothing, while the men would go and fight the enemy ; that we need not trouble ourselves about the enemy's garrisons j that we knew nothing about them, and that our father would attend to that part of the business. You also told your red children that you would take good care of your gar- rison here, which made our hearts glad.

" Listen ! When we were last at the Rapids, it is true we gave you little assistance. It is hard to fight people who live like ground hogs.

Father, listen ! Our fleet has gone out ; we know they have fought j we have heard the great guns ; but we know nothing of what has happened to our father with that arm. Our ships have gone one way, and we are much astonished to see our father tying

�� �