230 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
On hearing of his approach, Tecumseh advanced to meet him at Mache- 
kethe, on the Wabash River, sixty miles west of Fort Wayne. He was 
accompanied by six hundred warriors of twelve different nations, and 
left three hundred more at his village busily engaged in the manufacture 
of bows and arrows, as they had no ammunition for their firearms.? 
He returned a written reply to Elliott’s message, thanking him 
for his kindness to their women and children and laying the blame of 
the recent troubles on the frontier upon the Pottawatomies, who, upon 
hearing that a deputation from the Hurons were on their way to the 
Wabash “ for peaceable purposes, grew very angry all at once and killed 
twenty-seven of the Big Knives.” 
“You tell us to retreat or to turn to one side should the Big 
Knives come against us; had I been at home in the late unfortunate 
affair I should have done so, but those I left at home were (I cannot 
call them men) a poor set of people, and their scuffle with the Big 
Knives I compared to a struggle between little children who scratch 
each other’s faces.” 
After this contemptuous allusion to the attack on the American 
encampment at Tippecanoe, he concluded his speech with the following 
resolute declaration :— 
If we hear of the Big Knives coming towards our villages to 
speak peace, we will receive them; but if we hear any of our people 
being hurt by them, or if they unprovokedly advance against us in 
a hostile manner, be assured we will defend ourselves like men, and 
if we hear of any of our people being killed we will immediately send 
to all the nations on or towards the Mississippi and all this island will 
rise as one man. Then, father and brothers, it will be impossible for 
you or either of you to restore peace between us”? In the course of 
a private conversation Tecumseh said, that all the nations were aware 
of the desire the Americans have of destroying the red people (meaning 
the English), and taking their country from them.” ® 
Being thoroughly convinced that war was inevitable, General Brock 
was strongly opposed to the policy which had been adopted with respect 
to the Indians and lost no opportunity of protesting against its con- 
tinuance. His point of view was entirely that of a soldier. Every 
day that war was delayed would increase his difficulties. The Ameri- 
can agents, he urged, were actively at work among all the tribes, divisions 
were sown amongst them and their minds estranged from the British 
Government. 
*Claus to Brock, 16th June, 1812; Lucas to Foster, 4th November, 1812. 
*Tecumseh’s Speech, Can. Arch., C 676, n. 147. 
* Claus to Brock, 16th June, 1812, Can. Arch., C 676, p. 144. - 

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