Elkswatawa : $b or, The prophet of the west. A tale of the frontierFrench, James Strange
General
Elkswatawa : $b or, The prophet of the west. A tale of the frontier
French, James Strange
Tippecanoe, Battle of, Ind., 1811 -- Fiction
“The Prophet is not now dry;” was the answer. “When he drinks again,
it will be the blood of the whites. Kenah has no time for talk;—when
night comes, Netnokwa and the maidens must set out upon their journey.
Let them prepare.”
Miskwa had now recovered her firmness of character. It was not the
fear of death, which had caused her to tremble in the first instance,
for there were many ways in which she would have met it, and died
worthy of the race from which she sprung; but it was the indescribable
dread produced by the name of the Prophet, with the knowledge that she
had incurred his displeasure, and was to be ushered at once into his
presence. Gay still wept, and rising, threw herself on the bosom of
Miskwa, and begged her to forgive her for the calamity which she had
brought upon them. She lamented not her own fate, but seemed only to
deplore that of her friends. Miskwa tried to soothe and console her,
and repeated to her that Kenah had said the Prophet only wished to see
them at his camp. Yet, even while she said so, she felt that he would
never have ordered them from so far a distance into his presence, but
from some sinister motive; and she then recollected Tecumseh, and hope
beamed forth, when she thought of the relation in which she stood
towards him.
Netnokwa now, leaving her lodge, came out in the open air; Kenah, and
his party followed, for their object was to take them off as soon as
the night set in, and removing them silently, leave no trace of their
departure. Should it be known that Netnokwa was threatened with
danger, and was to be dragged away into the presence of the Prophet,
Kenah knew that her friends would be instantly in arms, and he with
his party, be made to suffer death for the steps they had already
taken. This, then, was to be prevented, and stationing themselves on
the outside of her cabin, they kept watch, that none of its inmates
might escape, and no one approach without their knowledge. While they
did this, Netnokwa, now as calm as if no danger awaited her, in deep
meditation was silently walking to and fro in front of her door.
Though worn with years, there was something so majestic and commanding
in her manner, that not a member of Kenah's party but felt its
influence. Her figure, tall and thin, was bent by age, and her hair,
once of the glossiest black, was now white as the fresh fallen snow,
and dishevelled, fell loosely over her shoulders. The sun was fast
declining, and Kenah seeing that Netnokwa was making no preparations
to commence her journey, said aloud, “When night comes, Netnokwa will
set out to see the Prophet. The wise man always prepares for his
journey.” Netnokwa was silent; she saw that it was worse than vain,
situated as she then was, to oppose their determination, and she
entered her wigwam. “Come, my children,” said she, “a few hours more,
and they say we must leave. It is for the banks of the Wabash. We go
to see the Prophet.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account