ath the
children must stay near their mother's lodge. For, several times runners
had come in hot haste bidding the squaws flee with their pappooses to
the forest and hide there till the palefaces had passed. It made little
Tecumseh's heart beat hard to think of the excitement and terror of
those days.

[Illustration: INDIAN WARRIORS]

Even in time of peace Tecumseh was accustomed to suffering and
discontent. Food and clothing were so scarce that the Indians were often
in want of enough to eat and wear. Children died from the effects of
hunger and cold, and men and women grew gaunt and stern. Frequently the
hunters came home empty-handed or bringing only small game.

They attributed all their troubles to the "Long Knives," as they called
the white men, who, they said, had stolen their hunting grounds. So when
Tecumseh was but a child he hated the palefaces, and was glad when his
tribe made war against them.

In 1774 the Ohio Indians learned that the Virginians were coming into
their country to destroy their villages. Accordingly, all able-bodied
warriors took up their weapons and went with the proud chief, Cornstalk,
to meet the enemy. Tecumseh's father and eldest brother, Cheeseekau,
were among the number.

After anxious waiting, those who had stayed behind were gladdened by the
good news that for the present their homes were safe. But many of those
homes had been made desolate by the battles waged in their defense.
Cheeseekau came home from the war alone. His father had fallen in
battle.

The mother and her children ceased their wailing and for the time forgot
their loss, as they sat by the fire with Cheeseekau and heard the young
warrior talk of his first battle. He said that he wished to die on the
battlefield, as his father had done, for an Indian could hope for no
better end. He told what a good fight the Indians had made and how brave
their leader had been.

"All over the field," he said, "you could hear Cornstalk shout to his
men 'Be strong! Be brave!' The warriors had more fear of Cornstalk's
hatchet than of the Long Knives' guns. They did not dare to run. Some
tried it. But Cornstalk buried his tomahawk in the head of the first,
and the rest turned back to fight the palefaces. When the battle was
over Cornstalk called a council and said: 'The palefaces are coming
against us in great numbers. We can not drive them back. What shall we
do? Shall we fight a while longer, kill a few more of them, and then