The Benson signal., 1917-03-10
CHAPTER X.
The COUGAR crouches.

were given three sons at birth. One
of the three died in infancy two lived
to become the most famous leaders the
derness ever knew. AS one of the two
grew to manhood and forced his way
to the head of his tribe by his daring,
his cunning, his matchless elOquence
and power, the red man, with his love
of imagery in names, chose the cou-
gar, the panther, the great cat of the
forest, as the fitting type Of the chief
whose iightest word was law.
The cougar! 1t was from this demo-
MAC beast that the Shawnee chief
received his name-Tecumseh, "the
cougar about to spring."
A Yankee surveyor predicted one
day an eclipse Of the sun. Tecum-
seh's brother, on account of his fire.
quent drunken babblings, had been
dubbed "The Open Door," but glim-
mer Of shrewdness lighted up his rum
sodden brain at the words of the white
man; he returned to his tribe, and say
ing to all who would listen that he
had been given a message from the
Great Manitou himself, prophesied
that on certain day the sky would
be darkened-a sign that he, 'The
Open Door," was divine and was
henceforth to lead his people. They
laughed :. but the darkness came as he
had foretold, and from that day he
was looked up to by every warrior in
The forest as the greatest of conjurers.
He was no longer called "The Open
Door," but Elkskatawa, '"The Loud
Voice." and his voice in council was
the voice of authority. But years had
now passed; and he prayed in secret
for another sign to bolster up his
Wavering strength. ...
The white men came farther and
farther into the wilderness, reared
their cabins in greater and greater
tered and bought larger and larger
territories from the stupid savage, who
reached out. eagerly for a handful Of
toys, jug of the white mans fiery
drink, and gave in return the countless
acres of his. hunting ground. But now
for years his dumb resentment grew
more and more bitter. To Tecumseh
and his brother, Elkskatawa, the
Prophet, the red men looked impatient
ly for a leadership which should re-
strain the encroaching settler, or
which might even regain for. them
their lost lands.
The young warriors could not wait
for council; here and there they struck
down settler, took a woman captive,
dashed out the brains Of child, and
hurried back into the forest. To Har-
risOn in Vincennes came Tecumseh
for council and promised redress; then
slipped away to the South, down the
great river, to the tribes along the
Gulf, to implore them to stand with
their brothers of the North against the
white mans advance. The Prophet
meanwhile remained at his village, 12O
miles north sof Vincennes, and spent
the time in incantations and ominous
mutterings; and the little town of
Vincennes lay in anxious uncertainty
on the banks of the Wabash river,
down which came the news of the
Prophets restless plotting. .
The little village presented a scene
of the most unusual activity. Here
and there in vacant fields the various
companies of the territorial militia
were drilling-fOtr companies of
mounted men and eight of infantry
a force of some six hundred men,
which Harrison had caused to be as
sembled hastily.
Women and children stood watching
the evolutions of the volunteers. The
French inhabitants chartered away in
tremendous excitement. AS far as
military drill and accouterment were
concerned, the men were ridiculously
awkward and unframed. They could
not keep step to save their souls, and
only one of the twelve companies made
any pretense at a uniform; this one
was the company commanded by Spier
Spencer Of Corydon. These wore vel
low hunting shirts trimmed with red
feathers; they were promptly dubbed
''the Yellow Jackets" and were marked
men. But the rest wore whatever
clothes they were possessed of in their
daily life-tow jeans or linsey-woolsey
or the hunters dress of tanned deer
skin; and each man carried the rife
of his choice, firearms of every make
and of any length of barrel.
One morning was enlivened by a
shooting match. Someone got q white
wood plank, and pacing off 60 yards
propped it up firmly. A circle ten
inches in diameter was smeared on
the board with wet powder and in
the center of this black spot bit OF
white paper, the size of dollar, was
pinned. One after another of the awk-
ward militiamen stepped to the line
and fired, seemingly without pausing
to aim. Not man failed to send his
bullet into the white. Then the tar
get was moved 20 so yards distance
then a hundred; and the deadly accu-
racy continued, as the better marks.