He soon came to be looked upon as a very
great Medicine Man and prophet, and is generally called the Prophet.
Much that the Prophet taught to the people was good. He told them
that they ought to give up fighting each other, and join together
into one nation, that they ought to till the ground and sow corn;
and above all that they should have nothing to do with "fire water."
"It is not made for you," he said, "but for the white people who
alone know how to use it. It is the cause of all the mischief which
the Indians suffer."
The Prophet also told the Indians that they had no right to sell
their land, for the Great Spirit had given it to them. And so great
was the Prophet's influence that he was able to build a town where
the Indians lived peacefully tilling the ground, and where no "fire
water' was drunk.
Now about this time General Harrison, the Governor of the Territory
of Indiana, wanted more land. So in 1809 he made a treaty with some
of the Indians and persuaded them to sign away their lands to him.
When Tecumseh heard of it he was very angry. He declared that the
treaty was no treaty, and that no land could be given to the white
people unless all the tribes agreed to it.
The Governor tried to reason with Tecumseh, but it was of no avail.
And as time went on it was more and more plain that the Indians
were preparing for war.
Pages:
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547