"Don't be scared; Tecumseh will not hurt you." The hearty laugh of the host showed the visitor that he had been made the victim of a joke by the Shawanoe chieftain. Tecumseh must have given a great deal of thought, while still a youth, to his race and to the many injustices which it had suffered. The problem to him was as to how these wrongs could be righted, or rather, since many of them were beyond righting, how further wrongs could be stopped. Never did any one see more clearly than he, the full force of the truth that in union lies strength. The Indians were weak because, instead of uniting, they fought one another, and thereby invited their conquest by the invaders of their country. How different would have been the story had the red men stood together when the first European crossed the ocean! Now, it must not be thought that this native genius was nerved by the ambition of Philip or Pontiac. The former dreamed of and strove for a confederacy that would destroy all the English settlements. When, at that distant day, these settlements were scattered and weak, he had good reason to believe he would succeed. As we know, his plot was sprung before he was ready, and Philip could not bring about the full union of the New England tribes. The day for doing that had passed when the chieftain of the Ottawas came upon the stage of action. He tried to bring about an alliance with France and to destroy the western posts that had been turned over to England. He did capture a number, but failed because France would have nothing to do with him or his plans. Tecumseh also believed that when war broke out between England and the United States, the former had a good chance of success. This belief he shared with the mother country herself, else she never would have begun the struggle. The Shawanoe knew that if the western tribes united to resist the Americans, they would get much better terms than if they fought separately. He bent all his energies to that difficult task. History proves that when such an effort is set on foot, war is certain to follow. Such is the record of the past, for if union is strength, it must give that confidence which results in deeds. The activity of Tecumseh made Governor Harrison and the authorities in the West uneasy. What could be finer than the retort of the redoubtable Shawanoe, when it was asked of him: "Why are you trying to bring about a union of the different Indian tribes?" "For the same reason that _you_ have brought about a union of _your_ colonies; we never objected to that, and what business is it of yours what we do among ourselves? Besides, it is necessary that we should unite to save us from the scoundrels among the white men." [Illustration: A RIVER ENCOUNTER] We have no authentic record of the opinion expressed in reply to these memorable words. Probably none was given.