Free Panther in the Sky by James Alexander Thom Page B

wife had been a Shawnee woman.
    Among the murdered Mingos had been all the members of the chief’s family. The white men had butchered them into pieces. The chief had sworn revenge. He had sworn to take ten scalps for each murdered member of his own family. He had told the white leaders at Fort Pitt that he was not going to wage a general war, and that he would put down the hatchet when he had had retribution. A few of his Shawnee relatives had helped him carry out his vow, and then they had put down their weapons. But the white leaders, in their fear and anger, had then raised an army and attacked six Shawnee towns, burning them and their crops.Their governor chief in Virginia was now raising a bigger army to come farther into the Shawnee country and burn more Shawnee towns. The army was gathering at Fort Pitt, and there were so many soldiers that the smoke of their cookfires hid the hills and the stink of their dung on the ground could be smelled for a mile. They would probably come next to these towns here on the Peckuwe Plains, including Cornstalk’s Town and Kispoko Town.
    And now with this invasion threatening, Cornstalk, main chief of all the Shawnees, was calling for his people to remain at peace with the white men, to appease them, to avoid war against so large an army.
    But many of the Shawnees were in a rage about the murders and about the burned towns. They felt that the Long Knives must be stopped now and punished, or they would grow more bold and aggressive.
    After the council had gone on for hours, and all had had their say, Hard Striker rose to speak. Tecumseh, proud and excited by the sight of his father standing before the hushed crowd, breathed fast and listened. He was determined to remember his father’s words as he always remembered stories and lessons.
    “My brothers, my people,” the chief said, his deep voice rolling over the council ground. “Do you remember that only a few moons ago I went to the Mingo chief and spoke to him about the dangers the white men bring? This I did. But he said he had always been a friend to the white men as well as the red, and that he would not guard himself against them.
    “I warned him, but he would not listen, and now he has paid the price. All his family was butchered, and now he sits in bitterness. And the trouble that started in his camp now sweeps toward our own homes.
    “Listen! Do you think we will stop this trouble by sitting still and smiling at the whitefaces, as he did? Do the whitefaces build their army of thirty hundred just to come and sit and smile at us and talk friendly talk? Listen! The Mingo was not crushed because he was weak or afraid. He is a strong and brave man. No! He was crushed because he believed in the friendship and the word of the Long Knives.
    “You know me. I am a war chief. Long have I warned you that we must stand firm against the whitefaces, and never let them reach onto our land even with the toes of their boots. Many of you have echoed my belief.
    “It is bad what the Long Knives have done to the Mingos, andto the Wapatomica towns. But if these evil acts have blown the mist of foolish trust from our eyes, then this was good. Now with clear sight we see that the whitefaces want to come here and burn our towns and our crops, so our children will be cold and hungry in the coming winter. The Mingo’s trouble was their excuse to come to our side of the river and try to walk on us. Now surely our eyes are clear!
    “Listen! The Master of Life would not look upon us as worthy men if we bent to beg at the white man’s feet, for the white man is wrong and we are right. Now the Master of Life calls upon us to do with strength and courage what is our duty to do: to put these white intruders back out of our country! This country was given to our People.
    “I ask you, warriors of the Kispoko Shawnees, and all men of other septs who sit among us today, to be brave and righteous! I press for war to resist the Long Knives. When we sit