Shawnee Indians -- Kings and rulers -- Drama; Tecumseh, Shawnee chief, 1768-1813 -- Drama
TWANG. Why over to the Muskingum. You've heerd o' them
Delaware Moravians over to the Muskingum, surely?
SLAUGH. Oh, them convarted chaps! but I a'most forgit
the carcumstance.
TWANG. Wall, them red devils had a nice resarve thar--
as yieldin' a bit o' sile as one could strike this side
o' the Alleghanies. They was all convarted by the
Moravians, end pertended to be as quiet and peaceable
as the Shakers hereabout But Kernel Crawford--who knew
good sile when he sot his eyes on it--diskivered thet
them prayin' chaps had helped a war-party from the
North, wi' provisions--or thort they did, which was the
same thing. So--one fine Sunday--he surrounds their
church wi' his melish'--when the Injuns was all a-
prayin'--end walks in himself, jest for a minute or
two, end prays a bit so as not to skeer them tew soon,
end then walks out, end locks the door. The Kernel then
cutely--my heart kind o' warms to thet man--put a squad
o' melish' at each winder wi' their bayonets pinted,
end sot fire to the Church, end charred up the hull
kit, preacher and all! The heft o' them was burnt; but
some thet warn't thar skinned out o' the kentry, end
got lands from the British up to the Thames River in
Canady, end founded what they call the Moravian Towns
thar; and thar they is still--fur them Britishers kind
o' pampers the Injuns, so they may git at our scalps.
SLAUGH. I reckon we'll hev a tussle wi' them gentry
afore long. But for Noo England we'd a hed it afore
now; but them Noo Englanders kind o' curries to the
Britishers. A war would spile their shippin', end so
they're agin it. But we h'aint got no ships to spile in
this western kentry, end so I reckon we'll pitch in.
GERKIN. We'd better git out o' this Injun fry-pan fust,
old hoss! I could lick my own weight in wild-cats, but
this ruck o' Injuns is jest a little tew hefty.
BLOAT. Maybe they want to come to skool, end start
store, end sich!
GERKIN. Gentlemen--I mean to send my lady down stream,
end I reckon you'd better dew the same wi' your 'uns--
jest fer safety like. My time's limited--will you
liquor?
ALL. You bet!
BLOAT. (_Meditatively_) Skoolin! Wall, I'll be
darned!
[_Exeunt_.]
SCENE THIRD. THE SAME. A ROOM IN GENERAL HARRISON'S
HOUSE.
_Enter_ GENERAL HARRISON, _and some Officers of
the American Army_.
HARRISON. What savage handiwork keeps Barron back?
_Enter_ BARRON.
Ah, here he comes, his looks interpreting
Mischief and failure! It is as I feared. What answer do
you bring?
BARRON. Tecumseh comes
To council, with four hundred men at back,
To which, with all persuasion, I objected--
As that it would alarm our citizens,
Whose hasty temper, by suspicion edged,
Might break in broils of quarrel with his braves;
But, sir, it was in vain--so be prepared!
Your Council records may be writ in blood.
HARRISON. Will he attack us, think you?
BARRON. No, not now. His present thought is to
intimidate.
But, lest some rash and foulmouthed citizen
Should spur his passion to the run, fore-arm!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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