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 grave in which Tecumseh's remains were deposited by the Indians,
after the return of the American army, is still to be seen near the
borders of a willow marsh, on the north line of the battleground, with
a large fallen oak tree lying by its side. The willow and wild rose,
are thick around it, but the mound itself is cleared of shrubbery, and
is said to owe its good condition to the occasional visits of his
countrymen.”
A brief mention of the remaining characters of our story, and we have
done.
Oloompa! yes, noble, generous Oloompa! all thy virtues could not save
thee! ill-fated wert thou as the noble chief whom it was thy destiny
to follow. Escaping from the battle of Tippecanoe, he united himself
with Tecumseh immediately upon his return from the south, continued
one of his firmest adherents, and fell fighting by his side, in the
battle which closed his career.
A word of the Prophet.—Tecumseh having forgiven him for his agency in
the ill-timed explosion of their schemes, they again became united,
and the Prophet continued for some time unremitting in his exertions
to unite the Indians. In the records of that period, we frequently
find mention of his wandering about and preaching even up to within a
short time of the battle of the Thames. We can find no evidence of his
having been present in any engagement; yet it would perhaps be unfair
to presume that therefore he was absent, inasmuch as even though
present, he himself would have been overshadowed by the greater fame
of Tecumseh. When, subsequent to the battle of the Thames, the Indians
sued for peace, and began to form treaties with the United States, the
Prophet retired to the neighbourhood of Fort Malden, on the Canada
side of Detroit River, where, without exercising the least influence,
and even despised by the Indians, he continued to reside, a pensioner
on the bounty of the British government, until the time of his death,
not many years since. The general contempt with which he was treated
during his latter days, must in his mind, have been sadly contrasted
with the vast power which he once wielded, and formed a good
commentary on the cruel and treacherous policy which characterized
him. Had he, in his exertions for his countrymen, pursued a different
course, he might have left a more enviable reputation, yet he could
never have equalled Tecumseh; nor could Tecumseh, by possibility, have
played the part assigned to Elkswatawa. Had the brothers succeeded in
the accomplishment of their wishes, volumes would have told the story
of their praise. They failed, their joint endeavours have been almost
forgotten, and even of their history, though so intimately blended, in
the recollection of the public, scarcely any remains save the proud
name of Tecumseh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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