The Riflemen of the Ohio: A Story of the Early Days along "The Beautiful River"Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
General
The Riflemen of the Ohio: A Story of the Early Days along "The Beautiful River"
Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander)
Frontier and pioneer life -- Juvenile fiction; Ohio River -- Juvenile fiction
"That Kogieschquanohel of the clan of the Minsi of the tribe of the
Lenni Lenape," said Heno, the herald. "His name long time ago Hopocan,
but he change it to Kogieschquanohel, which mean in language of the
Yengees Maker of Daylight. He man you call Captain Pipe."
"So that is Captain Pipe, is it?" said Henry.
Captain Pipe, as the whites called him, because his later Indian name
was too long to be pronounced, was a Delaware chief, greatly celebrated
in his day, and Henry regarded him with interest.
"Who is that by the side of Captain Pipe?" he asked, indicating another
chief of about the same height and age.
"That Koquethagaaehlon, what you call Captain White Eyes," replied Heno.
"He great Delaware chief, too, and great friend of Captain Pipe."
Henry's eyes roamed on and he saw two other chiefs whom he knew well.
They were Yellow Panther, head chief of the Miamis, and Red Eagle, head
chief of the Shawnees. He had no doubt that Braxton Wyatt would tell
them who he was, and he knew that he could expect no mercy of any kind
from them. Timmendiquas stood not far away, and in a group, as usual,
were the renegades.
Captain Pipe stretched forth a long arm, and the multitude became
silent. Then he spoke with much strong simile drawn from the phenomena
of nature, and Henry, although he knew little of what he said, knew that
he was speaking with eloquence. He learned later that Captain Pipe was
urging with zeal and fire the immediate marching of all the tribes
against the white people. They must cut off this fleet on the river, and
then go in far greater force than ever against the white settlements in
Kain-tuck-ee.
He spoke for half an hour with great vigor, and when he sat down he was
applauded just as a white speaker would be, who had said what the
listeners wished to hear.
His friend, Captain White Eyes, followed, and the gist of his speech,
also, Henry learned somewhat later from Heno. He was sorry to differ
from his friend, Captain Pipe. He thought they ought to wait a little,
to be more cautious, they had already suffered greatly from two
expeditions into Kain-tuck-ee, the white men fought well, and the allied
tribes, besides losing many good warriors, might fail, also, unless they
chose their time when all the conditions were favorable.
The speech of Captain White Eyes was not received with favor. The
Wyandots and nearly all the visiting warriors wanted war. They were
confident, despite their previous failures, that they could succeed and
preserve their hunting grounds to themselves forever. Other speeches,
all in the vein of Captain Pipe, followed, and then Girty, the renegade,
spoke. He proclaimed his fealty to the Indians. He said that he was one
of them; their ways were his ways; he had shown it in the council and on
the battle field; the whites would surely hang him if they caught him,
and hence no red man could doubt his faith. The tribes should strike now
before the enemy grew too strong.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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